Transformers Prime: Power of Stealth
by Ilikepieguy123
Summary: Sequel to Transformers Prime: Another Set of Eyes. Jack's mind is made up. He's made his decision and what he does next will change his life. Things have been a mess since the beginning, but when he becomes a danger to his family, he will do what he needs to do. Only fate knows what his future looks like, whether it's with Arcee, or not.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys! As you may know, I'm extremely excited for this story. After all, it is the basis of my entire series so you know it's a big one. I also want to mention that this story is inspired by... no one! You might be saying, "Ilikepieguy123 doesn't do originals". Well you're wrong. :P**

 **By the way, if you don't know already, my series is following the storyline of the games** _ **War of Cybertr**_ **on and** _ **Fall of Cybertron**_ **, as well as the book** _ **Transformers: The Covenant of Primus**_ **. As always, I have made moderate changes to the timeline and events that happened which will be revealed in time.**

 **Also, if you haven't read the other stories that come before this one, definitely go check them out. There is** _ **Transformers Prime: Operation 000**_ **, followed by** _ **Transformers Prime: Another Set of Eyes**_ **. After you've finished those, come back her and you'll understand the context. :P**

 **Hope you enjoy** _ **Transformers Prime: Power of Stealth**_ **!**

 **(P.S. I know it's a cheesy name but I couldn't think of anything else.)**

 **Chapter 1**

Sunsets.

There is nothing that can compare to the elegant natural event that takes place every day. No picture or painting can express the beauty of the scene, no matter what quality it is. Perhaps that's why it's so special to him. It's something distinct, something nothing else can relate to. Kind of like him, his life, and his journey.

Evenings were always quiet for him lately but he didn't mind. He enjoyed being alone and spending time in his own thoughts. Most people spend their free time with friends, or family, doing things that they would talk about for days to come.

Not him though, he left that all behind him. If not for school and work, he would be up here every day, 24/7. Day or night, moon or shine. It didn't matter what or where he was, he always had himself. To the average American, spending time to just think and be alone would be ridiculous. People always have things to do, places to go, almost like a busy ant hill, moving around just to survive. But that's the world we live in where taking time to just look around is considered a waste of time.

Jack sat on top of the mountain, looking out at the changing colors in the sky. It had taken him a while to find a spot like this one, one that resembled his old hill. Of course, it had taken some more time to getting used to the change in height and atmosphere, but eventually he learned to love change. After all, that's all that ever happens to him.

Occasionally, he would miss his old hill, the one where a lot of his memories floated to. It was his original spot where he could think and be alone, but he couldn't return back there anymore. He knew that others were always looking for him and that would be the first spot Arcee would check.

Arcee... she was something he's had on his mind for a while. She was his guardian, friend and partner. Lover, and love interest. She was his girlfriend; someone he should be talking about his problems with, but that just wasn't the case. He's been avoiding her, just like he has for everyone else, passing by them all as if they weren't even there. Occasionally he would see her in the garage, waiting for him, but even then he ignored her. He knew that every time he gave her the cold shoulder, she would become more persistent. He's already begun to see it happening, the blue motorcycle secretly following behind him as he drove on the road, the headlights that watched him from afar. It pained him to have to ignore her like that, but it was necessary that he did.

Truth be told, he felt guilty in his own sense. He's been slowly distancing himself from her and the rest of the group. He hadn't shown up at base in a while and even at school, he would avoid his friends. It was tough to push away the people he cared about and the sinking feeling in his stomach never seemed to go away.

A number of things have happened since the attack on the Nemesis, all of which he hadn't been there for. At some point in time, both the Autobots and Decepticons' databases had been leaked and the two decoded Iacon database entries each side possessed were exposed. With four different sets of coordinates to go to all at once, the team had been forced to split up.

He remembered hearing about how Arcee, Bumblebee, and Miko managed to snag the Phase Shifter from Knock Out while Ratchet and Wheeljack lost the Resonance Blaster to Soundwave. Optimus and Dreadwing had journeyed to the Arctic where they had encountered both Dreadwing and Starscream. After a multitude of battles, they had lost the Mass Shifter to the ex-con and returned home empty handed. Probably the biggest loss was Bulkhead and Smokescreen's mission. They had been ambushed by a horde of Insecticons, an insect like Cybertronian that somehow found its way to Earth. To make matter worse, the relic they were after turned out to be Tox-En, a dangerous gas-like object that had nasty effects if exposed to too long. Having to dispose of it quickly, the green wrecker was forced to jet it into a volcano but was once again ambushed by Insecticons. In the end, the Tox-En had been removed of but Bulkhead had been severely injured with system failures and partial paralysis. He had found himself next to his fellow wrecker in the medical bay and was forced to take some time to recover from his injuries.

All of this had happened and Jack was nowhere to be found. He should have been there to help to somehow, after all Miko, Raf, and Agent Fowler had been given tasks and they didn't even have enhancements like he did. Maybe if he had gone, Bulkhead wouldn't be out of commission and they would have been able to collect another relic. Or maybe if he had gone, he would have lost control once again and another Autobot would have been nearly killed by his actions.

Jack remembered the look Wheeljack had on his face when he almost off-lined him. It was a look of betrayal, of fear. He had seen the surprise in his optics as he fell limp on his sword and the thought of it haunted him every night. And even though Wheeljack had awakened from his coma a couple days ago, he refused to go see him. It wasn't that he didn't want to check up on his friend, and he did so very badly, but it was the wrecker's reaction to seeing him that he feared the most.

In fact, he hadn't faced anybody face to face in a while. It just didn't feel right anymore. They were his friends and family but now, it was like they were strangers. The looks they give him behind his back tell him that they see him in a different light now. He had no idea of how to confront them or even if they'd listen to him. He was an outcast to his own group, one that knew his place and had acted upon it.

 _You okay? You're awfully quiet today._ Came Agent 000's voice in his head.

The agent had truly become one of his closest friends in the past weeks. He was basically the only person he talked to, and he was also the only person that completely understood his situation. Not only that, but he was the only one who knew of his plan and said that he would stick with him no matter what.

 _I'm just... thinking about stuff._

 _Thinking about that plan of yours?_

 _Yeah..._

 _I've told you many times before, I'm with you all the way. However, I also remember telling you about the importance of family and friends._

 _Yeah I remember._

 _If you're really going to continue with this, you need to consider every aspect of it. Who and what you'll be losing._

 _I know that, that's why I'm up here._ Jack shot back with a little irritation in his voice. He didn't mean to get angry at the agent but he was just frustrated.

 _Well alright then..._

 _Look, I'm just... really frustrated right now. I don't know what to do and I didn't mean to get all pissy at you._

 _Hey, no hard feelings. It's all good. But can I ask one thing?_

 _Sure._

 _When?_

 _... soon. That's all I know. We have everything ready so I can do it whenever I want. I just want to make sure it's the right time to do it._

 _I understand. Take your time, this is a tough decision to make._

Jack nodded his head and watched as the half of the sun was covered up by the mountain top. It really was a beautiful sight and he wondered if he would find another spot like this if he did carry out his plan.

He sighed, realizing that his options were shrinking by the day. Deep down inside, he already knew what he wanted to do, but his mind had other thoughts. There were thoughts that said 'go for it', while others said 'no don't'. It was as if his brain was having a battle with itself, battling to see who dominates the other. It's ironic really since he's done that multiple times, just in a different context.

"What do I do?..." he asked to no one in particular. He wished life wasn't this hard. If only it was like a maze. In a maze, there is one path to follow but that path is always there. It doesn't change over time and it certainly doesn't affect other paths. If only...

The sound of an engine snapped him out of his thoughts as he heard it come closer. In fact, he heard it driving up the mountain side and he knew who it was immediately. He knew that it was bound to happen eventually but he didn't know so soon.

Jack didn't bother turning around to face the vehicle. Instead, he continued to watch the sunset, ignoring the engine getting louder by the second.

When the engine stopped and the sound of a transformation echoed in the valley side, he knew that it was time. He had two choices here, but he already made up his mind. There was nothing left for him here and he had to let her go.

"Jack..."

...

 **Author's Note (#2): Little disclaimer, this story will hopefully last just as long as the previous one so around 30-ish chapters. The problem is, summer is coming to a close [** **] and school is starting soon for me. I am a man of my word and will try my hardest to update daily, but with school and football coming in, it's going to be a busy life. If I miss a day, I'll try uploading a double the next. If not, you're just going to have to suck it up. :P**

 **Much love and thanks for reading. Leave a review on how you like the beginning or what you might think will happen.**

 **Cya tmrw.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Jack..."

The teen didn't look at the female who addressed his name, only keeping his back turned towards her. He could feel her optics trail his body but they weren't angry, rather relieved.

"I finally found you. Is this where you've been hiding all this time?" Arcee asked gently, shuffling closer but still giving him his space.

Jack didn't answer, or show any kind of motion for that matter.

"I thought we did this together" she joked lightly, seeing the sunset that he was focused on.

"What do you want Arcee?" Jack asked, unintentionally showing a little more frustration than he meant to.

"You know what I want Jack. I want to know why. Why you've been avoiding everyone, why you've been avoiding me." She said, jumping right to the point.

"I don't know" he lied and he felt the tension rise in the atmosphere.

"Yes you do, you have a reason for separating yourself from us and I want to know why" Arcee said.

"I do have my reasons." Jack said blankly.

"Then tell me Jack! Tell me!" Arcee begged. "You rarely show up to base anymore and Miko and Raf say that you don't talk to them anymore either! Not only that but we don't even go for rides anymore. I wait in the garage for you to come out but you pass me by like I'm not even there! It hurts every time you decide to take your car out instead of riding with me and you're making me feel useless."

"Just... leave me alone" he stated.

"No Jack, I'm not leaving until you give me answers. I'm your girlfriend but you're treating me like I'm an enemy. What have I done to deserve this?"

The teen's heart broke when he heard the drip of a tear land on the ground behind him. She had done nothing for him to ignore her and it hurt him just as much as it did to her when he turned his back on her. If only she knew what he had been going through.

"Why won't you let me in? Why do you keep pushing me away even though you know it hurts me when you do?" She cried.

"You're one to talk" he said harshly, his frustration getting the better of him.

His words hit her like a sack of bricks and she backed up slightly. She didn't quite understand where he was getting to but his harsh tone was unnecessary.

"Is this what this is about? Revenge?"

"No, I, just..."

"Just what? Give you your space?" She shot out. Arcee had a temper and he was really pushing her limits. "I've given you your space Jack, I have since I was a human. I let you have your time to think because I thought that it would be better if you fixed things yourself, but look where that ended?"

"So what? You're trying to make me feel guilty for thinking?"

"No but you should feel guilty for turning your back on your friends and family."

Frustration built up inside of him and his emotions got the best of him. If she wanted to get angry at him, he could get angry at her. He turned to face her and saw the mix of anger and sadness on her face. He realized that he hadn't been this close to her for some time now and it felt bad that it was under these circumstances.

"Fine, if you want to talk about guilt, how about lying to me about our relationship?"

"What?"

He snorted. "Oh please, I'm not stupid Arcee. Our first kiss was not your first kiss and you've probably made out plenty of times before me. Heck, the first time we had sex, that wasn't your first time either was it?"

Arcee was shocked by his words. She really didn't know how to respond to it.

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that you've lied to me multiple times so don't you start going about how I've turned my back on everyone. I know that Cliffjumper and Tailgate were more than just you're 'partners', and who knows how many others there were before them. You say that you love me but how many times have you said that to someone else? I'm just a third try, another chance at a relationship so you can just back off."

Jack laid it on pretty hard and now he had her rolling. It's true that Cliffjumper and Tailgate were more than partners but she never loved them like she does with him. She truly did love him, and she loved him with all her spark. But the fact that he took it for granted, and spoke of her two fallen partners like that was really riling her up.

"You don't think I love you? You don't think I care about you?" She pressed on. "Don't you dare start with me about our relationship. You haven't once said you loved me. For all I know, you could be out with another girl and coming back and pretending like you want to be with me."

"You're just full of it aren't you? I didn't shut down Sierra and every girl that tried to approach me just because I wanted to keep up an act with you. Stop being such a bitch and get your facts straight before you make claims about me."

"You bastard!" Arcee shouted, slamming her fist down on the ground. "I didn't save your life time and time again just to be called a bitch!"

"Right, you did it because you _had_ to."

"Had to?! I could have left you in the forest and let Airachnid use your head as a part of her collection."

"But you didn't because Optimus would have tore you a new one if you did" Jack shot back.

"YOU THINK I SAVED YOU BECAUSE I WAS FRAGGIN ORDERED TO?"

Jack slightly flinched at her booming voice. He had forgotten how angry she can get but he stood his ground. This entire fight was hurting him in ways he couldn't explain. He hated to have to fight with the girl he loved and he wanted so badly to just apologize and wrap her in his arms. However, he knew he had to do this, no matter what the cost.

"Get out of my face" he said.

"Ok, so you get me all worked up and now you just want to back down?! You really are just a self-centered jerk! I can't believe I fell in love with someone like you!" tears began to come down her face once again but she kept her angry tone. "You almost killed Wheeljack and you didn't even bother visiting him when he woke up! You push me aside like I'm just a worn out bike! You take the people that care about you for granted and you never once think about their feelings!"

"I said go away."

"So what? You just want to throw away our relationship like it's nothing? You want to just forget about the memories we shared over the past months as if it never happened?"

Jack looked away, not wanting to answer those questions. Truth be told, he cherished their memories and kept them close to his heart. He would never forget their time together.

"... I'm not your partner. I'm just a liability." He whispered, loud enough for Arcee to hear him.

Her spark broke when she heard his words. She had said that to him around the time when they had first met. Back then, he was just another mission for her to complete, but once she got to know him better, she started to feel drawn to him. There was just something that made her let him into her life, even when she was still suffering from the losses of her partners. He had the resilience to fight for her, even when all odds were stacked against him and maybe that's why her spark belonged to him.

Arcee's anger diminished and only sadness remained. She knew exactly what to say next and depending on what he would respond with would tell her everything.

"There are other motorcycles in the world."

Jack looked away, understanding what she was doing. What he would say next would dictate the path he would take. It would determine their relationship, and would also tell him whether or not he should continue with his plan. He felt his entire body shudder with sadness as he let the words out of his mouth.

"I know..."

That was it, that was his answer.

Arcee wanted to burst out crying but she forced it inside. She shut her optics and turned away in case anymore tears came out. A moment later, she transformed into her vehicle form and zoomed off, leaving behind her love and the one person in the entire universe she cared about the most.

Once she was far enough away from him, she let it out. Although she could not cry in her V-mode, she felt it all the same. A feeling inside told her to go back for him but she ignored it. It was his choice, his decision, and that was his answer.

It was over.

...

Arcee sped into the base and transformed in one motion, heading for her quarters. The entire team was in the command center and they heard her come in, however what surprised them the most was when they heard her sniffle followed by the sound of a tear dripping onto the floor.

"Arcee, are you alright?" Optimus asked.

"No!" she answered and she ran off into hallway.

The two-wheeler reached her quarters and quickly slipped inside, locking the door behind her. She headed to her berth, curling up into a ball with her arms wrapped around her knees and she cried. A steady flow of energon tears coming from her optics. It reminded her of when she cried for him when he had disappeared, but the pain was far worse than back then.

Something caught her eye that made her stop tearing up for a moment, however it only made the feeling worse. On her desk was the picture of their entire family, human and Autobots, but it was the picture next to it that really got her. In the frame was her and Jack, holding each other, both of them with happy smiles on their faces. Those two loved each other and even though they had differences, they put it aside to be together. Those two would never let each other go and the truth made Arcee look away.

She spent the rest of the night in her quarters, just her and her emotions. It was one of the worst days of her life and she wished that it had never happened. She wanted so badly to have Jack's arms around her, or her arms around him. It didn't matter, as long as they were close. But that wasn't going to happen.

He was gone in more ways than one.

...

Jack was still perched up on his mountain, his fight with Arcee still fresh in his mind. He really have anything else to think about, he had his answer. And even though it hurt him so very badly that he had ended it like that, he had no choice but to continue.

 _I'm sorry Jack, I really am._

 _Please... don't talk about it._

He knew the agent was only trying to comfort him but it was just too early. A single tear rolled down his cheek, something that hasn't happened in a while. He regretted everything he said to her but it was too late to change it.

 _We're doing it._ He said randomly but he knew that Agent 000 would understand.

 _...Are you sure?_

 _Yes._

His decision has been made and the fact that he had ended it with Arcee supported that decision.

 _We're leaving tonight._

...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They had planned this for weeks, going over the necessities and things that might be helpful. Of course, at the time of this planning, they weren't sure if they were going to follow through, but the idea was in place and if needed, Jack could leave at any moment. Now however, he had made his decision.

At this point in time, his life was a mess. He knew that running from his problems was never the answer, but he was running from them in a different context. The decision to leave was brought up by him after the battle on the Nemesis and while it was just a thought then, it seemed like the only viable choice now.

He was to leave everyone and everything behind. His friends, his family, his possessions, and his girlfriend; all memories. Jack felt that there was no other way except this. The darkness could take over at any moment and he refused to see another person he cared about fall to his actions. He was going to be alone, just how he liked it, where if he did indeed lose control, no one would be hurt.

Well, no one except him.

...

"You okay honey?"

"Yeah... just had a little fight with Arcee."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Jack got off the couch, fixing the pillows so that it looked as if he never sat on it. He looked at his mom and realized that this was the last time he may ever see her again.

"I'm real tired, I think I'm going to head off to bed." He said, faking a half yawn half stretch.

June nodded her head, turning off the television. "Good idea, I think I may head up as well. The hospital has been busy lately and I don't want to fall asleep on the job."

The two went up the stairs and Jack went straight for his room. However he stopped before he opened his door.

"Goodbye mom." He said, not turning his back.

June thought that he meant to say 'good night' and ignored it as if he made a mistake.

"Good night honey."

Jack turned around and flashed her a quick smile. She smiled back and he opened the door to his room, slipping inside and closing it in one fluid motion.

June stood in the hallway for a moment, staring at her son's door. She knew that Jack had been through a lot over the months, having experienced things many should never have to experience in their life time. He had been experimented on, shot at, stabbed, sliced, and hurt many, many times. And yet, he always somehow managed to come home and act like his usual self. The nurse smiled to herself, happy to know that she had such a wonderful son before heading off to her own room.

If only she knew that he did not make a mistake in his words.

...

Jack waited a couple hours for his mom to fall asleep before he got up. He quietly snuck over to his closet where all of his things had been laid out. Two sets of clothes, a small towel, some energy bars and other snacks, a Swiss Army knife, a bigger knife, a lighter, a small first aid kit, a solar-powered flashlight, and all of his money inside of his bank account separated into multiple wads of bills. It had taken some time for him to collect these things, some more than others, but the main thing he focused on was to keep it small and simple.

 _Looks like everything's good here._

 _Aren't you forgetting the pots?_

 _Right, I'll grab that when we head downstairs._

Jack took out a large camping bag hidden deep inside his closet. It was much larger than any school bag should be, but still small enough to be wearable. With a multitude of pockets and a big space to store things, it was the perfect thing to bring with him.

The teen didn't waste any time to pack his things in, opening different pockets for specific items. Not long after he was done, the bag was packed, just about a quarter filled. However that was perfect because he hadn't gotten the high-tech stuff yet.

Jack laid the bag, along with the katana out on the ground as he got dressed. He chose to wear a pair of black sweatpants along with a black hoodie for warmth, although he mostly chose it for its color. One he was ready, he quietly snuck out of the room, grabbing two different sized pots and putting them with the other things.

He walked over to the garage door, plucking his car keys off the counter as he looked back at his house once again. He didn't know if he would ever see it again so he took it in. This had been where he grew up, where his entire life had been spent. And while he knew that he would leave one day, he never thought it would be like this. Even in the darkness, he could see every shape of every piece of furniture. Instantly, the picture reminded of the time when the Autobots had turned into humans and were eating breakfast for the first time. He remembered standing in his exact spot, looking back before he went to work to see everyone crowd around the table, happily chatting and eating like a big family does.

Jack shook his head and the picture disappeared. It was just a memory and he had to remind himself of that. All of that was in the past and now he was in the present.

He took once last glance at his household before closing the door quietly, locking it up. He jumped into his car, starting up the engine and went on his way. The journey had just begun, but he still had one more place to go.

...

Jack pulled up into the command center, making sure not to awaken anyone by the sound of his engine. A few weeks ago, he had set it so that the alarms wouldn't go off once it detected his car's signal and he was glad that it worked. If not, this would all be a bust and he would never forgive himself for such a stupid mistake.

The teen quietly got out of the car, knowing that Wheeljack and Bulkhead were living in the medical bay until their injuries were healed. He could hear one of the wreckers snoring loudly in the other room and he knew that he didn't have time to waste.

There were multiple items he had to grab and these were the more important items on his list. Most of them were prototypes, things that Ratchet had been working on previously but had dropped in order to do something else. Fortunately, Jack had picked up on a few of these items and took mental notes on their distinct functions. He had even gone so far as to make some minor modifications to these items, making them work for his current situation. He had been planning for weeks and it's all paying off.

The first thing on his list was a small scanner like object, similar to the one Arcee uses on missions occasionally, only human sized. This was his number one tool and would probably be the thing that kept him alive. A while ago, Jack had realized that Cybertronian tech had many more functions than they let on, and he took advantage of that when he found the scanner. While it does scan, as the name suggests, it can also keep track of Autobot life signals, as well as their location shown on a digital world map. It also doubled as a portable Wikipedia that held information on just about everything to do with Earth. Jack had downloaded most of the contents prior to his planning and had made sure to download anything else that may be useful.

The teen grabbed the scanner and plugged it into the giant computer console. This was the most difficult thing he had to do tonight and that was to have it secretly linked up to the Autobot's database. One of the reasons he needed the scanner is to know where the Autobots are. He knew that they would be looking for him as soon as they found out about his disappearance, and knowing exactly where they are kept him one step ahead of them. Linking up to the database is just in case a new Autobot arrives or Ratchet decides to change how he pinpoint's their signals, his scanner will be updated as well.

He typed in some commands that he's learned during his spare time and a small loading bar appeared on the screen telling him it needed some time to link up completely. He was fine with that since he had other things to look for and he hopped into his car, driving over to their storage vault.

Jack was one of the few humans to be given access to the storage vault. In fact, the only other ones who knew the pass codes to the different rooms were Miko, Raf, and Agent Fowler. Guilt rose up in his chest as he realized that he was basically going against Optimus' trust, but he had no choice.

Silently, he walked over to the smaller console on the door and typed in the code to unlock the giant block of metal. He pushed it aside and walked into the hallway, moving all the way down to Ratchet's equipment room. Once there, he typed in another set of numbers and that door unlocked as well, granting him access to all of the medic's valuables.

It was dark but that was fine. Jack knew where to find his items and didn't need light to do so. He snuck over to the first item perched up on one of the shelves. Another Cybertronian piece of technology, similar to the scanner, but different in many ways. It had been completely designed by Ratchet and had been pushed aside due to recent events, but Jack saw how it worked and knew that he could use it.

The item was a portable groundbridge, small enough for a human to hold but just large enough for a Cybertronian as well. A small design flaw on the medic's part since it was designed for Cybertronian use but turned into a device that was more suitable for a smaller being.

Jack looked it over; double-checking to make sure it was the right one. He's already tested it a few times and has learned that it runs on energon, however because of its small size, just a small dose would last years. It had a small screen where the user could set coordinates to groundbridge to and two buttons to open and close it. Simple and small, just how he liked it. He put it safely into his bag and moved on.

The teen went over to a small stash of energon cubes, smaller than usual and specifically for technology use only. It was small enough for Jack to palm in his hands and he slipped a dozen into his bag. The cubes were going to be used for back-up batteries in case one of the devices ran out, but they were mostly for the next item.

Jack walked to the other side of the room where he saw the last and final piece of technology. Truth be told, it wasn't necessary but Jack felt drawn to it for some reason. A sniper rifle, much thicker than a usual one, lay hidden behind some crates. It was about the size of his katana and was possibly just as deadly, especially because of its enhancements.

The weapon was no ordinary sniper rifle. Originally, it was meant to be a blaster that a human could wear, although Ratchet had discontinued it after it came out wrong. The barrel had come much to thick for a blaster and the entire frame was too large and too heavy for someone to be running around with. Although, it did work in converting energon into bullets, it didn't serve its original purpose so the medic had deemed it a dud and placed it into his equipment room, never to be seen again. That is, until Jack stumbled upon it.

During their time as humans, Ratchet had asked Jack to grab something from the storage vault. He had come into this very room, looking for a tool the medic wanted when the gun caught his eye. Ever since then, he's been secretly making modifications to the weapon. It now had a retractable stand at the bottom, allowing the user to place it on the ground as well as a silencer to muffle up the sound. He also added a small compartment that held energon in its liquid state. This way, no tube needed to be connected and all he needed to do was pour melted energon inside to replenish its ammo. Finally, on account for his plan to actually take place, he had added a side clip that would enable the scanner to fit in nicely. He wasn't sure why he did that but it looked cool so he stuck with it. Either way, the sniper rifle was a masterpiece of a weapon and Jack took pride in creating it.

 _You like the sniper don't you?_ Agent 000 asked.

 _I made it, why wouldn't I?_

 _I always thought you were more of a swordsman like I am. You know, learn the ways of the katana._

 _I never said I didn't like swords. I just favorite snipers and would prefer to use it over a katana._

Jack could feel the agent shrugging.

 _Everyone has their choice of weaponry. I'm not going to judge you._

 _Good._

The teen picked up the sniper carefully, making sure not to a) knock anything down, and b) shooting it accidentally. However, when he lifted it up a small paper like object floated down, probably attacked the side clip and nudged off by his finger.

Jack gently placed the gun into his bag before reaching down to see what the paper was. Apparently it was one sided since its back faced upwards and there was nothing on the back, so he scraped it off the ground. Since he was in the dark, it was hard to see what it was, but once he got a clear picture, his heart sank.

It was indeed a picture, but who the picture is of made all the difference. Smiling back at him was a blue robot holding on to a version of himself, just with shorter hair. He remembered when Miko had taken the photo of them, just around the period after he was taken by MECH. It had taken longer than expected to have it printed and by the time she handed him his copy, it had been months later and the Autobots had already become humans. He must have accidentally left it in here that day when he came to tinker with the sniper.

Jack looked closely at the picture in his hands. It was a memory of the past but he felt like he didn't even recognize it. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled so happily, with no care or worry in the world except Arcee. Their smiles were of love and care, and while they had their differences, they chose to put it aside so that they could be together. This couple had dreams, had a bright future ahead of them. They had memories they wanted to make with one another and they would never let a fight get between them.

A single tear started to appear in Jack's eye and he quickly wiped it away. The realization of everything hit him at once. He was leaving behind everything and everyone but most importantly, he was leaving behind Arcee. Regret and guilt was all he felt when he thought of her and he knew he had to change that. He refused to leave knowing that his last moments with his girlfriend were spent fighting. He wanted to see her one last time, to feel her lips one last time. He wanted to tell her the truth and properly say goodbye to her.

And that was exactly what he was going to do.

...

Typing in the pass code to her room, Jack silently slipped in. Once again, he was one of the few people to know Arcee's quarter's pass code but this time, he didn't feel like going against her trust. He only felt sadness wash over him, especially when he saw her sleeping on the large berth.

The moist ground told him that she had been crying earlier and had eventually gone to sleep. He never meant to make her cry; all he ever wanted was for her to be happy. However like the saying goes, 'happiness doesn't come without loss'. He hoped that maybe she'd be happier once he was gone, that maybe life would go on better without him. Of course, that probably wasn't going to happen but he really did wish the best for his girlfriend.

Climbing up onto the large berth, Jack found himself looking at the female's face. The occasional stir told him that she was dreaming, but judging by the sad look on her face, it wasn't a good dream. He wondered if it was because of him she was having this bad dream.

Ever so gently, he reached down and began to stroke her metallic cheek, enjoying the feeling of her skin against his thumb. He forgot about how nice this felt and he knew that Arcee enjoyed the feeling just as much. Slowly, her facial expression began to soften and her frown turned into a small smile. He continued to caress her cheek until her optics began to flutter open.

"Jack?..." she mumbled, still half asleep. Her bright blue optics sparkling in the darkness as he almost became lost in her beauty.

"Shh, it's just a dream baby." He said gently and she smiled.

Once again he started to caress her cheek again and this time, he earned a soft purr come from his little two-wheeler. He leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips, holding it for as long as he could. Even though they were slightly bigger than his, they both fit nicely as if they were two pieces in a puzzle. She purred in delight until he slowly released the connection.

"I love you so much Arcee, with all my heart and soul. I love you." He said.

The two-wheeler mumbled something that sounded like 'I love you too', although it was hard to tell since she was falling back to sleep from his gentle stroking.

After a moment, he stopped the caressing and looked at her peaceful expression on her face.

"I-I'm sorry Arcee." He apologized, unsure if she could still hear him. "I know I promised that I wouldn't leave you, but I have to break that promise. I'm so sorry."

Jack fought back tears as he slowly pulled away from his one true love.

"Goodbye Arcee."

...

The teen trudged into the command center with a blank expression on his face. This was it. He's said goodbye to the people that needed to hear it and left the place he called home for sixteen years. He could turn back now and forget none of this ever happened, but his heart told him to move on.

Jack put his hand into the pocket that wasn't holding the picture he had found and pulled out a folded up envelope. He straightened it out, looking at it and thinking about the words he had put inside of here. Inside was a letter to his family telling them what he was doing. He knew that they would be looking for him and may assume the worst, so he made sure that they knew that he left by his own will. Of course he would have to put it somewhere where the Autobots would find it so he went over to the coaches and placed it in the middle of the cushion. Raf always played video games so he would for sure see it, if not Miko or someone else passing by.

A bilking light at the control console told him the scanner had finished downloading. Jack made haste to retrieve his stolen tech, disconnecting it from the large computer and placing it into his bag. He then pulled out the portable groundbridge console and walked to the middle of the room, setting a coordinate for his destination. Pressing the activation key, a swirling green vortex appeared in front of him.

 _This is it._

 _Jack, you need to think this completely through. There's no turning back once you walk through that portal. Are you sure that this is what you want to do? You are leaving behind everything, don't let your situation cloud your judgement. This decision should not be influenced by anything or anyone but yourself. Do you truly want to leave?_

Jack took a deep breath and looked around the empty command center. This was where it all started, this was where he met the Autobots for the first time. The memories of that fateful day past by and he could see it now, about a year ago standing in his very spot, looking up as Optimus approached them. At the time, he was dumbfounded by the entire situation, but now he knew that they had crossed paths because it was destined to happen. So was everything that occurred during his time with the team, from just relaxing and having a good time with his alien friends, to traveling to another planet to save their leader. Everything had been up to fate and he believed that his departure was also something that was meant to be.

The teen stood staring at the hallway leading down to the quarters, but most importantly Arcee's. She was the one thing on his mind and he sighed knowing that he was going to leave her. He also sighed because he was leaving behind his old life, his old self, to discover who he really is and the path he should be taking.

 _Let's go._

Jack felt the photo in his pocket and took it out, holding on to it and never letting go. He walked into the groundbridge and his body started to disappear.

And then, he was gone.

...

 **Author's Note: Not much to say other than thanks for reading. It's still in the introduction phase so the major parts haven't come together yet. Be sure to follow or favorite or do whatever so that you'll be alerted for the next.**

 **Arc Angel, know that your voice has been heard and truth be told, I've already been considering that idea. Unfortunately, I already have a pathway planned for this story, however in a future installment, I'll be piecing together any ideas you, or anyone else wants to see happen. Once again, great idea and you'll for sure see it happen in a later story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Arcee woke up to the sound of movement outside in the halls. Her optics fluttered open and she put up a hand to block out the sun's light from her vision.

The two-wheeler sat up, putting her feet on the ground but not moving from her berth. The only thing on her mind at the moment was Jack. She remembered their fight and how she ended up crying herself to sleep. She also remembered the awful dream she had until it somehow became joyful and happy. It was as if something in the middle of the night got her to relax and dream peacefully.

Unfortunately for her, that was all a dream and reality hit her hard. The words shared during her conflict with her boyfriend still stung but she also felt guilty about them. Arcee didn't want to fight with him and she had spoken without thinking first. She never meant to insult him, all she wanted to do was find out why he had been distancing himself from everyone, distancing himself from her. She missed the compassionate man she fell in love with, she missed his soft lips pressed against his, she missed his caring attitude for her well-being and safety. And now, Arcee may have ended their entire relationship.

Just the thought of life without her Jack got her tearing up. In all her centuries of being alive, the two-wheeler had never been so emotional on a subject, but the topic of relationships always got her to show her true nature, especially when it came to Jack. She really did love him deeply, with all her spark and soul. The teen had changed her life ever since the day she met him. At first she hated him and thought he was just an annoying organic that got in her way. Later on however, she realized just how charming he really is. His heroics and the fact that he would rush into any battle to save her touched her spark. His bravery and courage as well as his caring nature showed her that he was so much more than just another human. Jack was someone who would do anything to protect her and it is for that reason why she fell in love with him. Later when he confessed that he too shared the same feelings as her, her entire existence was given a new meaning. Though he did not say it, she knew that he loved her, just as much as her, if not more.

But sitting on the edge of her berth, Arcee felt like she had lost that love given to her. She had allowed him to distance himself from her. It was her fault that their relationship may be over and if she truly did lose the love of her life, there was no one to blame but herself.

She would soon find out that she had lost so much more.

...

When Arcee walked into the command center she was surprised to see everyone else already there. Normally she was the first one up and it seems like she was a bit tardy this morning.

Optimus was the first to notice the two-wheeler's arrival and ended his conversation with Ultra Magnus for a moment.

"How are you this morning Arcee?" the Prime asked, partially because it has become accustom for him to ask during a greeting, but also because he remembered Arcee crying as she entered the base last night and was concerned that something had happened.

Arcee rubbed her left arm with her right hand, shaking her head in response.

Ultra Magnus peered down at the two-wheeler. "Are you ill? Perhaps that is why your mood has become so stagnant."

"There is no need sir, I'm not ill."

The lieutenant nodded his head and gave her space, although there was clearly something bothering her. The sound of metal scraping across the floor caught his attention and he watched as Bulkhead worked his way over, dragging his left leg with him. Following was Wheeljack, still recovering from his close encounter with death by taking small and careful steps, along with Ratchet, Bumblebee and Smokescreen.

"Easy Wheeljack" Ratchet warned. "Too much strain could get you right back into your medical berth again."

The wrecker rolled his eyes. "Relax doc, I'm taking small steps, just like you said."

"That better be all that you do..." the medic grunted under his breath.

Arcee looked at the two wreckers who stopped in front of her to join the conversation. Both of them had been badly injured and she was surprised to see them up and moving so soon.

"Looks like you guys are recovering quickly" she said.

"Doesn't feel like it" Bulkhead answered, stretching out his legs.

"As long as you get those chicken legs moving, you should be fine" Arcee said, cracking a really bad joke. She smiled weakly and the others could tell that something was up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that her smile was completely fake.

Bulkhead raised an eyebrow at the two-wheeler while Ratchet shot Optimus a look. The Prime nodded his head, telling him that there was indeed something wrong.

"So... um, Arcee... did you...uh...talk with Jack yesterday?" Smokescreen asked, scratching the back of his head.

The others focused their attention on Arcee, all of them waiting for an answer. They had all seen her show of emotion last night and had pieced together that it was probably something to do with Jack. After all, they did send her out to talk with him.

The two-wheeler shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. Just the mention of his name got her feeling a familiar pain in her spark.

"... I did talk with *Jack* yesterday" Arcee responded quietly, croaking a bit when she said her boyfriend's name.

"Are you okay Arcee?" Wheeljack asked softly, noticing her struggling to say Jack's name.

She took a deep breath and tried not to break down in front of everyone.

"I-I'm... no. I'm not okay."

Everyone saw that she was really having a hard time recalling what happened during her talk with Jack and Optimus took it upon himself to comfort the two-wheeler. The Prime gently placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. When he did, he saw the pain and sadness that she experienced.

"Arcee, did something occur between you and Jack?" he asked with authority but also gentle enough to not get her to react badly.

"We... we had a fight" she answered quietly. "We said some nasty things, _I_ said some nasty things, and then we ended it."

Bumblebee beeped a question and gave her a sympathetic look.

"I-I don't know. I didn't mean the things I said, I wasn't thinking. It was just in the heat of the moment and it all came out. I don't know if we broke up or not, but if we did, I...I..."

She was struggling to hold in her tears but luckily Optimus jumped in before she could go on.

"Arcee, if I may have a word with you for a moment."

The two-wheeler nodded her head and walked towards the medical bay with Optimus following right behind her. The group watched as the two of them disappeared into the next room.

"While I do not understand relationships very well, nonetheless human relationships, it is quite clear that Arcee is having a tough time dealing with her argument with Jack. Does she normally become this upset?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"No, only when she has been truly hurt emotionally does her state become so dejected. She had a similar attitude when Jack had been taken by MECH, however I do not believe it has escalated to that point yet." Ratchet answered.

"Yeah, when she had her emotional breakdown last time, she was utterly devastated" Bulkhead added. "Lucky for us, it's not that bad, otherwise we'd be seeing a completely different side of Arcee that I don't think you've ever seen before."

Ultra Magnus nodded and a moment of silence came between them as they tried to hear what the two were saying in the other room. Unfortunately they were either too far away or were speaking in a very quiet tone.

"What do you think Optimus is saying to her?" Smokescreen asked. "I mean, how much does he know about relationships?"

"This may surprise you but Optimus knows a thing or two about romance. In fact, he has a sparkmate" Ratchet said, getting everyone's attention. Ultra Magnus nodded his head and it seemed like he was the only other person with this knowledge.

"What? The commander with a sparkmate?" Wheeljack asked astonished.

"Who?" Smokescreen questioned, Bumblebee asking the same question with his beeps.

"Indeed, Optimus was romantically involved even prior to the war." Ultra Magnus confirmed.

"Once again, with who?" Smokescreen asked. The lieutenant fixed him a look and the rookie corrected himself. "...sir."

"Remember your manners soldier. Do you recall of the Autobot named Elita-1?"

"I remember hearing of her. Wasn't she one of Optimus' lieutenants?" Bulkhead asked.

"That is correct, however Optimus saw her as his equal. She was tasked with commanding the Delta Team and oversaw all major operations." Ultra Magnus explained. "Elita-1 was a mighty warrior and always remained true to the Autobot cause. Her bravery and courage reassembles that of Optimus which is why some believed she may hold the title of a Prime one day. However, Elita-1 remained humble about her position and refused any glory given to her."

"What happened to her, sir?" Smokescreen asked.

"That is out of the extent of my knowledge. I believe Ratchet has further information regarding her location."

The medic nodded and recalled the last days on Cybertron. "Elita-1 escaped Cybertron on the Ark and when we were forced to separate, Optimus had her placed as the commander of the vessel. I am unsure of where the Ark is at this point in time, however Optimus occasionally tells me that he feels her presence somewhere beyond the stars."

"Wow, now I feel bad for the commander. I mean, being separated from his sparkmate must come back to pinch him sometimes." Wheeljack stated. Bumblebee also added his own statement of remorse with a string of sad beeps.

"Optimus and Elita-1 are warriors that deserve the highest of honors. They may be separated physically, but their sparkbond remains strong. For this reason, I believe Optimus is indeed the only one who can understand Arcee's emotions. It would be best if we allowed them to talk it out and wait for their return."

The Autobots faced the medical bay and stood in silence.

...

Arcee shuffled her feet and looked down at the floor as Optimus stood over her. She could feel his optics trailing her and she knew he was trying to find a way of approaching this carefully.

"Arcee," he began. "I have known you for many years now and never have I seen you so emotionally hurt. I understand the loss of Tailgate and Cliffjumper left you with scars that may never heal, however I can see that your connection with Jack is much more important to you."

The two-wheeler sighed sadly. "It is Optimus. He's changed my life so much, for the better, and just the thought of losing him hurts. I love him Optimus but I feel like he's lost the love he once showed me before, like he's forgotten about me and has moved on."

"Is it the thought of losing his love, or being separated from him that hurts more?"

"I-I don't know. Both." She answered painfully. "I don't want any of those things to happen, but after the fight with him yesterday, that just might be the case. I'm so stubborn that I might have ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me. Argg! I'm such an idiot!"

The Prime could tell that this was a very tough subject for her and her frustration is getting the better of her. However, he could still see the sadness behind her anger and how much it is affecting her.

"Tell me Arcee, how much do you love Jack?"

"I love him with all my spark Optimus. I've never loved anyone as strong as I do for him. I'd lay my life down for him."

"And do you think he would do the same for you?"

Arcee thought for a moment before answering.

"...he would."

Optimus nodded his head. "Arcee, I've been watching your relationship with Jack grow ever since the day you brought him in. I've seen how happy he makes you and I believe you have yet to notice your presence has the same effect on him as well. Jack shares the same love you have for him and that will never change. Though darkness clouds his life at this moment, I sense a bright future for him, one where you play a crucial role for his happiness. Do not believe your argument has changed his feelings towards you."

Arcee nodded her head as his words sunk in. He was right, and she knew it.

"As you may know, my relationship with your sister has grown to be something amazing. Our sparks have bonded and Elita-1 and I will remain sparkmates until death do us apart. Though we may be separated, perhaps light years apart, I know that our connection will never fade. I feel it inside my spark, just as I know it does for her."

"I'm so sorry Optimus" Arcee said.

The Prime smiled gently. "Do not be sorry Arcee. I tell you this because I know your relationship with Jack is just as strong. Though you may not have done the ritual for becoming sparkmates, I can see that you think of him every day, not only in your mind, but in your spark as well. Do not be afraid of losing his love Arcee, for I know that that will never happen."

A single tear trickled down her cheek as the two-wheeler smiled. Optimus had a way of words that can always make things better. Although, she still felt the pain and sadness inside of her, there was truth in his words and Arcee knew that Jack would never lose sight of the love and care he's shown towards her.

"Thank you Optimus" she said and earned a nod from the Prime.

The two of them walked back to the command center in silence. Optimus could still see that his talk with her hadn't had an effect on her feelings, however he was glad to see that she was in a slightly better mood.

...

When they returned back to the main room, the other Autobots were still gathered around waiting for them. They frowned when they saw Arcee stumble in, once again rubbing her left arm and looking at the ground, but Optimus gave them a look that told them that she was doing better.

Bumblebee checked the time on the control console and suddenly let off a couple of rushed beeps.

"Scrap you're right Bee. We better get going otherwise they'll be late for school." Bulkhead said, dragging himself over to the center of the room.

"Ah ah ah! I have not yet cleared you for active duties!" Ratchet warned.

"Come on Ratchet, all I'm doing is sending Miko to school. Besides, you're always saying how I need to move around and I haven't done that in my vehicle mode yet."

The medic grumbled something and placed a hand on his face, shaking his head.

"Very well, however you must return back here immediately!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it" Bulkhead said. He then changed his attitude and looked at Arcee softly. "Arcee, um, you coming too?"

The Autobots held their breath as they waited for Arcee's response. The two-wheeler looked at the ground and it seemed like she was thinking about it.

"I-I'm not ready to see Jack yet" she said quietly.

Bulkhead was about to say something but Optimus shook his head at him. The green wrecker nodded back and transformed along with Bumblebee, speeding out of the command center.

It was only the morning and their day was already going pretty bad.

...

About six hours later, Raf and Miko excited the school, waiting for their Autobot guardians to pick them up. A moment later, the familiar green SUV appeared and two doors shot open.

"Hey Bulk, where's Bee?" Raf asked as he crawled in.

"He's helping Ratchet move some stuff around, nothing to be worried about." He replied through the radio. Once the two kids were safely strapped in, they were on their way.

"So how's Arcee?" Miko asked. They had been told about what happened in the morning and have been concerned about he bleu female.

"Not good. She's either sulking around or in her room doing whatever she does. Either way, try not to tick her off today ok Miko? You know how emotional she is right now and it's best if we don't do anything to make it worse."

The two kids nodded and sat in silence as they drove towards the hidden Autobot base. They had just reached the edge of the town when Raf mentioned something that was quite important.

"Um, Bulkhead, did Arcee mention anything about Jack?"

"Not much other than the fight. She did say that he was pushing her away but that was all. Why?"

"I don't think I saw him at school today. Did you Miko?"

"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure he was marked absent in our history class."

"Does he usually skip school?" Bulkhead asked.

"Not often. Unless something important got in the way, he's usually there."

The three of them drove in silence, pondering the thought of why Jack would skip school. Suddenly, all at once, they remembered the last time he went missing.

"Scrap..." Bulkhead said, changing gears.

The green SUV sped down the road at an insane speed, zooming past signs and going well over the speed limit. They had to get back to base fast, for they feared the worst has happened.

...

Moments later, Bulkhead came to a sudden stop in the base and the two kids quickly exited his vehicle mode. Once all possessions were out of him, he transformed back into his bipedal form. The Autobots were already gathered in the command center and it seemed Agent Fowler decided to pay them a visit. As always, when Optimus saw them, he broke conversation with the agent and greeted.

"Good afternoon Raf, Miko. How was scho-"

"Sorry Optimus but we have an emergency" Bulkhead interrupted, turning to the two kids.

"Emergency?" Agent Fowler asked.

"Perhaps it would be best if you explained your situation before we acted upon it." Optimus suggested.

"Well you see Optimus, Jack didn't show up at school today and he never misses a day." Miko explained.

Arcee, who was sitting in the corner, perked up when she heard Miko mention Jack skipping school. She immediately got up and ran over to them.

"Did you say Jack skipped school? Where is he?"

"We don't know. We thought that maybe it had something to do with your fight."

Arcee shook her head and turned to Optimus. She also remembered the last time Jack went missing and she couldn't handle it is it happened again. "Optimus we need to find him. What if he's been captured again? What if he's in trouble? What if-"

"Arcee, you must calm down. I do not believe he has encountered any danger."

"How are you so sure Optimus?" Ratchet asked.

"Have you forgotten that he is always accompanied by Agent 000? I believe if his well-being was put into harm's way, surely Agent 000 would have taken control over his body. It also stands to reason that Jack would have contacted us in the case of an emergency but that is not the case."

"Are you positive Jack did not appear at school?" Ratchet asked Miko and Raf.

"About 99% sure" Raf answered.

The medic scratched his chin. "Perhaps we could-"

All of a sudden, the proximity alarms went off and Ratchet practically jumped out of his skin. Lucky for him, everyone was too busy with their own thoughts so they didn't see his little scare.

Quickly, he moved over to the computer console and saw the familiar white sedan approaching the base.

"It is only Mrs. Darby" he said.

Moments later, the car came to a halt and June stepped out of the vehicle. A furrowed eyebrow and eyes as sharp as an eagle's told the group that she was angry, _really_ angry.

"Where is he" she growled.

The Autobots shared looks with each other, confused about who she was talking about.

"Mrs. Darby, who exactly might you be referring to?" Optimus asked gently, careful not to get on her bad side.

"I come home from work and the first thing I get is a phone call from Principal Evans telling me that Jack skipped school today" she said angrily. "I've allowed him to roam around freely, but once he goes against my trust by skipping school, he's crossing the line."

Ratchet, who was afraid Arcee was going to start getting worked up again, raised his two hands and tried to calm the nurse down.

"Mrs. Darby, we understand your anger but there is no need to express that in front of us" the medic said, motioning his head towards Arcee. "We are also unsure of Jack's location."

Just like that, June's anger disappeared. She saw Ratchet's clue for her and she turned to look at Arcee. The poor two-wheeler had such a sad face that the nurse's heart broke just by looking at her.

She motioned for Ratchet to come closer so that she could whisper something into his audio processor.

"Is this something to do with their fight? Jack mentioned it but didn't talk too much about it."

"It is very possible Mrs. Darby" the medic whispered back. "To my understandings, Arcee has been taking their conflict quite seriously."

The two medical experts shared a look before turning back to the others.

"Do you think Jack's been kidnapped again?" June asked.

"We have concluded that it is highly unlikely Jack's disappearance is on account of capture." Optimus explained.

"If you want, I could try to get the military to fly some jets around to look for him." Agent Fowler suggested. "Although I'd have to pull a lot of strings to make that happen. Looking for missing kids is not something the army does."

"Thank you Agent Fowler but your assistance is not necessary. It is best if we find a solution using the resources that we already possess."

For a moment, they all stood there silently, thinking about possible places Jack could have gone. Suddenly, Arcee broke the dead air.

"This is all my fault!" She blurted out. "He hates me now and it's because of me that he disappeared!"

"Arcee dear, you can't say that" June comforted, her motherly instincts kicking in. She had to admit, it was extremely odd to talk to Arcee as if she were a child. After all, the blue female has been around far longer than she has. "Jack doesn't hate you and you can't blame yourself for what happened. Every relationship has its fights, even ones as strong as yours."

The two-wheeler didn't respond, instead looking away so that the others wouldn't see her emotions. She felt a small hand rub her knee but she knew it was only June trying to comfort her.

"Come on, are we just going to sit around or are we going to find Jack?" Wheeljack demanded.

Bumblebee let out a series of beeps and Optimus nodded in agreement.

"Bumblebee is correct. We do not possess any knowledge of Jack's whereabouts." The Prime said, turning to June. "However, perhaps Mrs. Darby's assistance may provide some light on our situation."

"I'm sorry Optimus but I know just as much as the rest of you. Jack hasn't told me anything about where he goes in his spare time."

The Autobot leader rubbed his chin. "Do you recall the last time you saw Jack?"

"Last night, right before he went off to bed. We were watching some television in the living room and he said something about being tired."

"What TV show?" Miko asked curiously.

"How would that help in any way shape or form?" Smokescreen said, earning a shrug from Miko.

"Maybe he saw something on TV and he decided to go check it out."

Ratchet grumbled in annoyance and ignored Miko's poor sense of humor. He thought for a moment about if they had any more clues to where Jack may have gone.

"And what of the morning?" he asked June.

"Well, when i woke up, Jack wasn't in his room, but that's normal. I went downstairs and saw that his car wasn't in the garage so I assumed he went on his morning ride."

The medic processed the information being told to him and suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Aha!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

"You got something Ratchet?" Raf asked.

"I do indeed" he said, quickly moving towards the computer console. "I have forgotten about the chip we installed into Jack's car a few days prior."

"You secretly bugged his car so that you could track him?" June asked.

"Yes, that is how we were able to pinpoint his location yesterday evening." Ratchet explained.

"Mrs. Darby, we apologize if you believe that we have invaded Jack's privacy. However, his lack of appearance has gotten us concerned and we were left with no choice but to install a tracker to his vehicle." Optimus added.

"It's fine. I've been trying to figure out where he goes in his spare time so at least one of us knew where he was." June answered.

Ratchet, along with Raf, began activating the tracker they placed and typed in commands to run the program installed with it as well. After a moment, a small blue dot appeared on the screen, pinpointing the location of the black Honda Civic.

"That's very peculiar..." the medic said, taking a closer look at the coordinates. "Rafael, are you positive that this is his location?"

"Yeah, I just ran it twice to make sure it didn't glitch or something" Raf answered, looking up at his computer. "That's where the tracker is, no mistake."

"Did you find him?" Arcee asked gently.

The medic scratched his head. "It is strange. You see, the program indicates the tracker's location somewhere inside the base."

"What? But we've been here all day" Smokescreen said. "If Jack was in the base, we would have seen him come in."

"Perhaps we will receive our answer once we locate the vehicle" Optimus suggested.

Ratchet nodded and quickly uploaded the coordinate to his scanner. Once it was complete, he grabbed the piece of technology and raised it in front of him, a small dial telling him where to go.

"This way" he said, pointing towards the medical bay.

He, along with Optimus, Smokescreen, Arcee, and June started towards the location of the tracker while the rest of them stayed back. The five of them didn't take long finding the location since the hallway was a straight corridor, however they were all surprised when they ended up in front of the storage vault's door.

"I've never been to this part of the base" June said, looking around.

"This door leads to our storage area where my equipment, along with other Cybertronian technology resides." Ratchet said, pointing at the large metal door.

"You think Jack's inside?" Smokescreen asked.

"No, the door is clearly locked which would suggest that no one is currently accessing our equipment. A small flaw when I designed it, there is only one way to unlock the door and that is from the outside."

"So maybe he's trapped inside."

"Perhaps..."

Ratchet typed in the pass code to unlock the sealed door and walked in, turning on all the lights. After a few minutes, he reappeared, shaking his head while closing the large piece of metal, automatically locking it.

"As I suspected, Jack is not inside."

"Ratchet, you said that Jack's car is located somewhere in this vicinity?" Optimus pointed out.

"Oh, yes, I forgot." The medic quickly took out the scanner, following the dial as it led him underneath one of the tables. Sure enough, the black Honda Civic was parked right in the corner, sitting there as if it was normal for it to park in such an obscure area.

"Optimus, I've found it." Ratchet said and the Autobots squatted down to look at the hidden vehicle.

"What' is doing here?" Smokescreen questioned.

"I believe a better question is how it got here."

June quickly made her way over to the car, pulling out her car keys and picking out the one to the Honda Civic. Once she unlocked the door, she opened it up, looking around inside. The entire car was empty and it looked as if it were brand new. Not a single penny or item was left behind.

"There's nothing in here" she said, crawling back out.

Desperate to find her boyfriend, Arcee started searching around the room frantically.

"Jack!" she called out multiple times, lifting up different pieces of equipment and searching high and low for the human she fell in love with.

"Don't you think he would have responded by now?" Smokescreen pointed out.

"Well it wouldn't hurt to try!" she yelled at the rookie, although there was more sadness in her voice than anger.

As the two-wheeler searched around the area, Ratchet activated the scanner inside his arm and a beam of light shot out, running over the vehicle and stopping once it reached the end. The medic looked at his arm and his face became even more confused at the result.

"Have you found any new information on the vehicle old friend?" Optimus asked.

"My scans indicate that Jack's car has been parked here for several hours" he answered, looking even closer. "In fact, it has been stationary since last night at 2:13 am."

"Jack would have been asleep then" June said.

"Yeah, and wouldn't the proximity alarms have went off when he got close enough to the base?" Smokescreen added.

"The most logical explanation is that Jack programmed our alarms to act as though his signal is that of an Autobot. Therefore, or proximity alarm would have remained silent during his entrance." Ratchet explained. "It's a matter of simple coding and it would make sense for him to learn after watching Rafael and I run the commands daily."

"But why would Jack do that?" June asked.

Ratchet thought for a moment for any possible explanations but before he could add his opinion, footsteps were heard coming towards them. The four of them turned around and even Arcee stopped searching to see who it was. After a moment, the figure of a small girl ran into the room.

"Guys, Raf found something and we think it's really important." Miko said.

Quickly, they jogged down the hallway, reaching the command center in no time. Once they arrived, they spotted Raf up on the platform where the TV and couches were located. Next to him was Agent Fowler, and the other Autobots crowded around him.

"Rafael, what have you discovered that is so important?" Ratchet asked.

The young genius looked up and his sad look of despair told them it really was urgent. He lifted up an envelope which had already been opened.

"It's a letter..."

"...from Jack."

...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"What do you mean it's a letter from Jack?"

Raf looked at Smokescreen and gave him a hefty sigh, lifting up the envelope along with the letter that had been folded up in thirds. He had not yet read any of it but he had seen Jack's signature at the end, meaning it had to be from him.

"I came over here to charge my laptop when I saw the envelope just sitting there on the couch" Raf explained.

"And are you sure it is from him?" Ratchet asked.

The young boy nodded and bit his lip. "It has his signature."

Raf handed Ratchet the letter as Optimus gently raised Miko and June up to the platform. The others crowded around the medic as he began to unfold the letter. They all knew that Jack wouldn't leave a letter unless it was important, and that was never a good sign.

Ratchet slowly revealed the words printed onto the paper and his optics scanned over the first bit or so. That was all he needed to read before realizing just how dire their situation really was.

"By the AllSpark…" he said with a sad tone.

"What is it old friend?" Optimus asked.

"I believe it is best if I read it out to you" Ratchet answered, his voice croaking slightly.

The grumpy medic did not normally show so much emotion and the Autobots recalled that whenever that happened, it was something serious. Although, Ratchet wasn't bothering trying t hide his feelings, instead turning to look at Arcee and giving her an apologetic look. Her bright blue optics sadly looked back and just like that, he knew that once he was finished, she was going to be emotionally torn apart.

Ratchet looked down at the letter with sorrowful optics, faintly clearing his throat as he began.

…

" _To my closest friends and family who have changed my life forever,_

 _By the time you have read this, you have probably noticed my disappearance. Please know that I am not harmed and have not been taken against my will. I am in complete control and my disappearance was not an accident._

 _Recent times have shown me that life doesn't always go the way you expect. Sometimes, one's path is really just up to fate, and mine led me down this dark road. If you haven't figured it out yet, I've kept many secrets from you, some of which I still keep to this day. The revealing of Agent 000 was only a glimpse of what I have kept hidden, and truth be told, he was never supposed to be revealed at all. I'm sorry I have not told you the truth and I feel as though I have gone behind your back. I felt like I could fix my problems on my own and not have you involved, but it turns out, I've only made it worse._

 _Behind my smiles and laughs lies a darkness some of you may have never seen before. It's been there for some time now, just sitting there and eating away at my will. I've felt it ever since MECH experimented on me and since then, it's almost as if it's become a part of me. Before, whenever I could feel it manifesting, I would force it down deep inside of me, forgetting it ever happened. Now however, I realize my mistake since I can no longer push it away. It's become far too strong, even for the combined efforts of both Agent 000 and I._

 _I should have told you about it, I should have mentioned it when I had the chance, but instead I allowed it to grow. I allowed it to become stronger by the day and eventually, its power matches that of my mind and will._

 _The problem is, this darkness has taken away more than I ever thought it would. It's taken away my personality, of who I am, of who I was. For the longest time, I've acted as though nothing has happened to me but I've realized that I was wrong. The old Jack is long gone, whisked away from the forces of evil. I pretended to be him, wanted to be him, but that is not who I am. Not anymore._

 _I've become a monster; someone who can no longer hold off the dark demons inside. I know you've seen it before, you've seen it in my eyes when they glow red with rage and anger. It's happened twice now, twice too many, and others have paid the price for my lack of control. I am a danger to everyone around me, everyone I care about, and I can feel it fighting its way back for more. I know that it will come out again but I refuse to see someone else fall to my hands once again._

 _This is why I have left, and no, I have not left to only spend some time alone, I have left for good. Know that this was not an idea that came on the fly. I have made the decision on my own, without any influence from anyone or anything. Weeks of planning were made prior to this and only now have I decided to move forwards._

 _This is something I have to do, Something I must do alone. Only by moving forward can I be sure that your safety will never be threatened by the likes of me. This is also the only way I can find my true self, of who I really am. My new personality has yet to find its way and I am the only one who can uncover it from the shadows of darkness. I need to know what my place in the universe is. I need to know whether or not the path I am taking will lead me in the direction fate has already chosen. Regardless of the darkness the future holds for me, I must continue towards it. This is the only way._

 _Please don't come looking for me, this is my own decision and nothing will change that. Even so, I know that you will search for me, regardless of what I say, which is why I have taken measures to ensure of our separation. I know that the portable groundbridge is untraceable, which is why it is now in my possession. It has already been used to take me to my new location and, to my new life. You may still continue to look for me, you may still search the entire planet for me, but even if you find me, my mind has already been made up. No one has a perfect life, and this is just what mine is meant to come to._

 _Understand that although I may have a new life ahead of me, my old memories will be cherished. You all are truly my family and I will never forget it. The wins and losses, the pain and suffering, the joy and laughter, all of which we have shared over our time. The love and care we have for each other tell it all. Regardless of what gender, race, or species, we were meant to live along side one another, to live as a family. I couldn't have asked for anything more than to be a part of this wonderful group._

 _Raf,  
You are one of my closest friends and I consider you to be my brother. You're smart, courteous, and strong in your own little way. Don't ever let you're size get you down because brain always beats brawn. I see a very bright future for you and I'm sure anyone would agree. Keep moving forwards and follow your dreams because I know that you'll be one of the greatest geniuses some day._

 _Miko,  
You're crazy antics and endless amount of energy always amazes me. Sure you get on my nerves sometimes, but at the end of the day, I'm just glad to have you around. You're not afraid to show who you really are and that is something I admire. You're my sister, my closest friend, and I'll always remember our fun times together. Be yourself and make sure you never change anything about you._

 _Agent Fowler,  
I know that our encounter was more of an accident if anything, but I also know that if anyone ever needs something, they can come to you. You have helped us out more times than I can remember and I personally want to thank you for protecting myself and my mom when we needed it. As I've said before, you'll always have a spot at the table and will always be considered a member of this family._

 _Smokescreen,  
Even though we only met a few months ago, it feels like I've known you my entire life. You're jokes are hilarious, you're attitude is always light-hearted, and I love to hanging out with you. Smokey, you're so laid back that sometimes I even get jealous of how relaxed you can be. You didn't let this war get to your personality and that is what makes you so special. As you always say, you do have a destiny; one that shines brightly waiting for you. Work hard, be yourself, and one day you'll find that greatness that you've been looking for. _

_Ultra Magnus,  
Perhaps we haven't truly gotten the chance to understand each other fully, but already I can see just how loyal you are to the Autobot cause. You're a strong, dedicated leader, and it's thanks to your efforts we were able to return the other Autobots back to normal. I am in your debt for what you have done for us. All that I ask of you is that you understand that this band of humans and Autobots isn't just a team, we're a family. We look out for each other, care for each other, and you may not realize but you are also a part of this family. Protect them, protect this family, protect our family, just as they would do for you. _

_Wheeljack,  
I don't even know how to tell you how sorry I am. I almost off-lined you earlier and it's been haunting me ever since, but I'm also sorry for not visiting you once you awakened from stasis. I know that it was wrong of me to do that and I regret it deeply. I just couldn't face you knowing that you joined the AllSpark because of me. You're also one of my brothers Wheeljack. I'm happy you decided to remain with the team when you made that decision. I'm also happy that I got to share those moments with you while you were a human and I'll always remember those memories. I hope you recover soon and once again, I'm sorry for what happened. Stay strong and stay as a team player, but I know you will already do that._

 _Ratchet,  
You may be grumpy most of the time and you rarely show any signs of emotional attachment, but I know you secretly care for each and every one of us. You're medical expertise have aided the team in so many different occasions and the fact that you watch over us humans is greatly appreciated. We have grown closer over the year Ratchet, and I feel comfortable in calling you a friend. I look up to you as a wise Cybertronian and although you may not be a Prime, your wisdom resembles that of one. Hopefully you're knowledge will continue to grow, and maybe you'll even take some time to study human biology. _

_Bulkhead,  
You're also someone I need to apologize to. I know the affects of Tox-En have done a number on you and I should have been there to help you through your time of need. However, I already see that your recovery is coming along just fine. You're hard will and determination to push through your injury astounds me, but then again, you've always been the strongest out of all of us. Don't give up Bulk because I know you'll be back on your feet in no time. _

_Bumblebee,  
For the longest time, I didn't really get to know who you really were, although, that's probably because we couldn't communicate with each other. But once you turned human and were able to speak, it was as if I was meeting you for the first time. Now that I think back on it, I wish I could have understood the real you sooner than later. You're fun, cheerful, and just a joy to be around. I had a blast doing things with you Bee and I will never forget those either. I also remember you telling me how you strive to earn your warrior rank and personally, I think you've earned that position already. Sure, having a ceremony and officially becoming a warrior is something that you can never overlook, but you also need to understand that that's only a rank. You're a warrior on the inside Bee, whether or not you've been properly given that title, and that's all that really matters. _

_Mom,  
You are the best mother anyone could ever have. I know that times have been tough, especially when I was younger, but you always showed me that there is a bright side to everything. Sometimes I think you worry too much about me, but now I realize that you're just looking out for me. The love you've shown me can never be replaced and I'm grateful for being raised by such a wonderful person. Before I left, I transferred over half of my money over to your bank account which sums up to be around $13,000. I hope this will help you for any bills needed to be paid or any necessities needed to be bought. I know that money alone can never repay you for what you've done for me but for now, it is all I can do. I love you mom but the next chapter in my life has started and I need to move on._

 _Optimus.  
Thank you for everything, and I mean everything you have done for me. Since the day I met the Autobots, you've welcomed me with open arms. Despite my size and our differences, you managed to see past that, even showing me respect that I don't believe I deserve. You've taught me many lessons Optimus, ones that have changed the way I think of life itself. I am truly thankful for the chance to meet and understand someone like you. _

_When I was young, my father left us and things have always been tough since then. We struggled to sustain a basic lifestyle and sometimes I blame him for every wrong in my life. Then you came along and truth be told, you've changed my life in more ways than you think. Optimus, I see you as a father figure, someone to look up to, and you will always remain that way. This family needs someone to take charge, and that someone is you. It always has. Please, keep everyone safe and never lose track of what's right and wrong."_

Ratchet sopped reading for a moment, not just to look away and clear his optics and throat, but also because he wasn't sure if he should read the next part. He sadly turned to Arcee who was struggling to keep everything in.

"Arcee…" Ratchet said gently. "There is an entire section dedicated to you. I'm not sure if I should-"

"No… please..." the poor female begged, holding a hand to her chest. "I... I can't take it."

The medic nodded, understanding that Jack's final words had a much deeper effect on Arcee. His optics started to water once more and he quickly wiped the tears away. He looked down at the letter, skipping over the part meant for Arcee, and continued to read.

" _Always remember the importance of family and the relationships we have created. Only by trusting in each other can you win this war and finally bring peace to both Earth and Cybertron. Never lose faith because as long as you have each other to lean on, you will all continue to grow. Every one of you has something special, something unique, and hopefully your strengths will always remain with you._

 _I'm not sure when I will return. Maybe it will be months, maybe years, or maybe never. When the time is right I will come back but until then, you can't afford to spend time worrying about me. I'm sorry it had to end like this, I truly am. I am proud to call you my family, my loved ones, the people I care about, and I hope that I will see you all again someday._

 _Till all are one,_

 _Jackson Darby."_

…

Ratchet slowly lowered the letter down as he looked around the room. The mood has changed significantly and everyone's emotions were high right now. He could tell that some were hiding their feelings from coming out while others, specifically the humans, allowed it to flow out.

"Jack's… Jack's gone?" Bulkhead asked quietly, although he already knew the answer to that question.

No one answered him and Ratchet could see the shock and sadness plastered on everyone's face. He looked over at the two more authoritative Autobots, Optimus and Ultra Magnus. Usually they always had a serious and unfazed show of emotions but in this case, the two leaders sadly closed their eyes and turned their heads. Suddenly, he felt two hands grasp his side and he looked down to see Arcee on her knees, small tears streaming down her cheek.

"Please Ratchet… please find him" the two-wheeler managed through her sobs.

His spark sunk seeing Arcee on her knees begging him.

"I'm sorry Arcee but there is nothing I can do. The portable groundbridge is untraceable and it could take centuries for me to pinpoint its frequency" Ratchet explained softly and sympathetically.

She began to sob even more and he felt guilty that he couldn't do anything to help. He secretly cursed himself for building such a successful piece of technology and was ashamed to know that he did not create a contingency plan.

Tears dripping onto his boot pierced his thoughts as he looked down at Arcee who now hung her head in defeat. Ratchet was about to say something when he realized he was still holding onto the letter. He carefully folded it back up before kneeling down in front of the sobbing two-wheeler. He placed a hand on her shoulder which got her attention and he locked eyes with her.

"I believe it is best if you hold onto this" he said gently, handing the letter out towards her. Arcee extended a shaky hand, grasping onto the edge of the paper. Once Ratchet let go from the other side, she slowly brought it up to her chest, as close to her spark as possible.

"Jack…" she whispered to herself before she went back to bawling.

The medic, knowing that it is best if he left her alone, stood up and took a step back, giving Arcee her space. He saw Optimus give him a sorrowful look but nodded, telling him he did the right thing.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye" Arcee said sadly.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye…"

…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The dark night skies hung overtop the looming trees like a giant carpet in the sky. Stars from light years away twinkled brightly as the full moon added to the eerie nighttime atmosphere. A light breeze whistled by and the leaves of the coniferous forest danced in response. The mountains in the distance covered the land with its shadows, hiding its secrets in the darkness.

 _Nature at its finest_ , Jack had said when he first arrived.

It had taken him a while to find a place like this. One that was untouched by human kind and away from any populated areas. It needed to be off the map, somewhere no one would ever find him, but it also needed to have enough resources for him to survive.

In the end, Jack found himself in the Alberta mountain forests, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains. The place he chose was exclusive to any human activities and flourished in natural wildlife. The dense forest also provided proper cover from the weather and the lakes gave him his source of water. Jack knew that Canada would be one of the last places the others would look for him, which was exactly why he chose it. Although, in case they ever did have a reason to come up to the northern country, he had done a thorough scan in the area to make sure no energon was located within miles of his location.

All in all, he was alone out here, just like he wanted.

…

Jack hiked through the dense forest, pushing aside branches and crossing over small streams. He had been walking all day and his legs ached for a rest, although he refused to stop. Finding a place to spend the night was number one on his priority list and the fact that the sky has darkened to the point where it was beginning to become hard to see told him he needed to find shelter fast.

In the distance, the sound of a pack of wolves howling at the full moon echoed through the forest. The animals' cry sent shivers down his back, but it also brought back memories. He used to be part of a pack, part of a caring group. Now, he has abandoned them and gone off on his own. Now, he was a lone wolf.

 _You've been awfully quiet for the past few hours._ Came Agent 000's voice.

Jack sighed and a sly smile appeared on his face. Technically he wasn't as alone as he thought. Agent 000 was always with him, although he wasn't sure if he really counted as another individual.

 _Sorry, I've just been thinking a lot._ He answered. Silence proceeded and he continued his walk through the forest.

A moment later, he broke the tranquility by asking the question that's been on his mind the entire time.

 _Do you think I made the right choice?_

 _I don't know, that depends on how you look at it._ The agent answered.

 _And how am I supposed to look at it?_

 _Well, if there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that your heart will always guide you towards the right direction. What is your heart telling you right now?_

Jack stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. His pulse became much stronger as he looked into his own heart. Truth be told, he wasn't quite sure what he was doing and he wasn't sure if he was going to get an answer. Although, a few seconds later, he did get his answer. Not in words or symbols, but in feelings.

 _It's telling me that I've done the right thing. That the path I've chosen is the right way to go…_ Jack said quietly.

 _Good_. Agent 000 quipped.

… _But it's also telling me I left something important behind, something that my heart aches for._

Jack reached into his side pocket and pulled out the photo of him and Arcee. He stared at his girlfriend, wondering why she looked more beautiful every time he peered at the picture. He sighed, rubbing his thumb against her cheek as he stared into her blue optics. He missed her so much, and even though it's only been a day, it felt like an eternity. The fact that he left her behind made him feel worse and Jack's eyes began to water.

 _I'm sorry it had to end like that Jack._ Agent 000 said, obviously trying to comfort him.

The teen rubbed his eyes, wiping away the oncoming tears and put the picture back into his pocket safely. He took a deep breath to regain his composure and began his walk once again.

…

Not too long after, Jack finally found a place to rest. Up against one of the mountains was a cave. The enclosed area was smaller than he thought it would be and really, it was just big enough for him to lie down.

Jack took off his bag and placed it on the ground, using it as a pillow. A small chill was in the air and he shivered when the breeze hit his neck, but other than that, he was fine.

Before he went to sleep, he made sure the entrance was blocked off from any predators lurking by. He did leave the top open so that he didn't suffocate, but also so that he could technically sleep under the stars.

The teen lied down on his makeshift bed, watching the clouds move around elegantly. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn't ate in a while, but he ignored it. Tomorrow, he would go out hunting and hopefully catch something to fill him up for a while.

Jack sighed once again as he closed his eyes. This was his life now. No more warm beds, no more soft blankets, no more filling meals. If he wanted to survive, he would have to rely on his survival skills and common sense.

He opened his eyes one more time to look at the moon shining above him.

"Goodnight Arcee" he whispered silently.

Then, he drifted off to sleep.

…

 **Author's Note: Sorry for not updating yesterday. My eyes and brain needed some rest so I took the entire day off. Also sorry for the short chapter but there really wasn't much else I could write about. The good stuff hasn't come up yet so this is really just a transition scene if anything.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and be sure to review. I won't have a double upload today but make sure to follow so that you'll be notified when I publish the next chapter tomorrow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The night went by slowly and painfully, especially for the heartbroken two-wheeler. The previous night, she had bawled her optics out hoping that she hadn't lost the love of her life because of her failure to control her anger. However tonight, she had truly lost him, and not in a way she would have ever thought of. Jack was gone, not dead and not missing, but gone as in he had left.

The letter Jack and left for them sat on top of her table, staring at her as if it were a living being. It would remain that way for a long time. Arcee couldn't bring herself to read her boyfriend's last words. She felt like if she did, he would be gone forever and that was something she refused to let happen.

"Why Jack, why?" she cried to herself, hugging her own body tightly. "You promised… you promised you'd never leave me… you promised…"

Arcee saw that it was getting late but she didn't know exactly what time it was, and honestly, she didn't care. Her feelings were too depressed that nothing in the universe could snap her out of emotional wreck except the comfort of her boyfriend. However, as much as she wished, that wasn't going to happen. Jack had departed and wasn't coming back.

Just the thought of him made her cry harder.

There was going to be no sleeping for the two-wheeler tonight.

…

"Argg! These stupid fish!"

Jack waded in the shallow end of the lake with his pants and sleeves rolled up. He's been splashing around like an idiot for the past while and now, he's really getting frustrated. Every so often, a fish would swim by and Jack would pounce onto it, but he always ended up empty handed.

 _You sure you don't want my help?_ Agent 000 teased. _After all, I do have enhanced reflexes._

 _No, I'll do this myself._ Jack shot back. _This is my life now and I need to learn how to catch a fish._

The teen took a deep breath, standing as still as possible and listening to the sound of water moving. He tried to pinpoint exactly where the fish was going to be since chasing after one was out of the question.

All of a sudden he heard movement to his right and in that split second, he threw his entire body at the fish. For a moment, the fish squirmed around in his hands, trying to break free, until it finally gave up. Relieved, tired, and wet, Jack sighed as he slowly made his way out of the water onto the shore.

He made his way over to his little campsite where a small pit has already been set-up prior to his fishing expedition. Nearby was a pile of different berries, bunched up on top of leaves to keep them clean. He had also done that before hand it turned out to be much simpler than catching the fish. All he had to do was walk around the forest for a bit until he found some berries. Then, he would scan it with the scanner and moments later it would tell him whether or not they're edible or not.

Either way, he got what he wanted and now, it was time to chow down. His stomach growled in agreement.

Before he went off to change clothes, Jack quickly cleaned out the fish, created a fire, and let it start cooking. Afterwards, he walked over to his little den and grabbed a pair of extra clothes, slipping them on and hanging up his wet ones to dry. Moments later, he returned to the campsite and sat on a log, eating some berries while he waited for the fish to cook.

"It's not the breakfast I envisioned, but it'll do" he muttered to himself before placing a berry into his mouth. It was surprisingly sweet and filled his empty taste buds with joy. The moment only lasted for a second and he searched his pile for some more.

 _Looks like those survival videos did you well after all_. Agent 000 said.

 _Yeah, I regretted it before, but now I'm glad I wasted hours on my computer._

Agent 000 laughed. _Do you remember the one about how to clean an open wound?_

Jack started to gag and spat out the berry that was in his mouth.

 _I'm trying to eat here okay? I don' need those images running through my head right now._

The agent laughed again and Jack couldn't help but join in. He was glad he had him with him. It didn't make him feel as alone as he was thought out to be. And while he wasn't the ideal partner to live in the wild with, just being able to talk to someone made him feel better.

 _Looks like the fish is ready._

The teen got off the log and walked over to the fish, inspecting it for any parts that may need more cooking. Satisfied with the fire's work, he grabbed his knife and dug in. It may not have been the biggest fish, but it was the first taste of meat he's had in a day. As soon as he took one bite, he had to force himself not to engulf the entire thing.

"Bon appétit!"

…

It was Saturday morning and the kids had come over to the base early today. It had been a rough night for everyone and not many of them talked about it. Instead they decided to put it aside, at least until they could figure out what to do. Obviously finding Jack should be number one on their priority list, but they were fighting a war at the moment and using all their resources to find a missing teammate is not going to win them the battle. Although, Ratchet and Raf have already begun searching for Jack, using their computers to scan through any databases that may have picked up his track. Much to their disappointment, they found nothing, but continued to search anyways.

"Hey Smokey, where's Arcee?" Bulkhead asked the rookie who was racing against Miko and Bumblebee.

Smokescreen put down the controller and gave the wrecker a small sigh.

"She's probably sleeping right now. Poor girl's been crying all night. Having a room next to her has been a pain lately but I can't really complain. It's been hard on us so who knows how traumatized she is about losing Jack."

Bulkhead nodded his head. "Smart move kid. By the way, there's a spare room next to my quarters that you can have if you want."

"Really? Thanks man, I haven't slept well in days."

The green wrecker patted him on the back before Smokescreen went back over to his quarters to grab his stuff. However, as he made his was there, he bumped into Arcee trudging along slowly.

The two-wheeler looked awful, and that's saying something since Cybertronians didn't have as many facial appearances as humans do. Her optics were fluttering from time to time and the bright blue in her pupils seemed to look dimmer. She wore a blank expression and judging by the way her body sulked, it was clear that she was extremely tired.

"Um, good morning Arcee" Smokescreen stammered.

"Hmm? Oh, hey Smokescreen she muttered as she walked by.

The rookie made sure she was behind him before he exhaled deeply, pretending to wipe away sweat from his forehead. Once he regained his composure, he returned back to his room to grab his things.

Back in the command center, Bulkhead told Wheeljack about Smokescreen moving over to their side of the base and the wrecker happily agreed.

"Sounds great" Wheeljack said.

The two of them heard footsteps coming from the hallway and they turned expecting Smokescreen to appear.

"Yo Smokey, we can help with your-"

Bulkhead was surprised to see Arcee emerge from the hallway instead of the rookie and stopped talking.

"What was that Bulkhead?" she asked.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just thought that you were Smokescreen."

The two-wheeler nodded and continued to trudge her way forward.

"…Arcee you doing alright?" Wheeljack asked politely.

The female stopped and he immediately flinched back, realizing that he shouldn't have asked that.

Perhaps it was because she hadn't had any sleep last night. Or perhaps it was her anger building up inside. Either way, Arcee responded in a way no one thought she would.

"Oh yeah, I'm doing just fine" she said, tightening her hand into a fist.

Bumblebee, who had been listening on the side paused his game with Miko and turned to the two-wheeler, beeping a couple times.

"I said I'm fine Bee" Arcee responded with a little more anger in her voice. "If Jack wants to run off on his own, then he can go ahead and do that. He's just a self-centered jerk who thinks he's always the center of attention."

The other Autobots were shocked at what she said. Only yesterday she was bawling her optics out about how she lost her true love, and now she was standing here calling him a jerk. Although, the others knew that sometimes Arcee hides her true emotions behind her anger and they could tell that she wasn't really angry at Jack for leaving.

"Arcee, you didn't really mean that right?" Wheeljack asked quietly.

"I did" she said, a little louder this time, although, it wasn't as sharp and menacing as before. "It's not like I can't live without him."

The Autobots gave each other looks as Arcee rambled on, her voice getting less menacing and more saddening every time.

"I mean it's not like he's the love of my life and just left me. It's not like he gone off without so much as saying goodbye to the rest of us. It's not like he broke my spark and tore me to pieces..."

The Autobots didn't know what to do at this point. None of them really had the courage to walk over there and give her a hug. Too bad Optimus had gone on patrol because his relationship expertise could be put to very good use right about now.

Ultra Magnus shot Wheeljack a look which only the wrecker understood. In turn, he shook his head and elbowed Bulkhead who passed it on to Ratchet. The medic shot back a glare before pushing Bumblebee forward. The scout, who now had a scared face, turned back at his supposed Autobot teammates to see that they had all taken a big step back. Bumblebee sighed and looked over to Raf and Miko who too took a big step back.

Gathering up his courage, he quietly walked over to the trembling female who was holding her two hands together close to her spark. Once he was close enough, he beeped gently, about to rub her back when all of a sudden she turned around and gave him big, yet tight hug.

"Who am I kidding? I miss him so much Bee." Arcee said, holding in her tears.

Bumblebee, who mind you was still very young, merely patted her on the head. He didn't expect her to have a change in emotions and he looked back at the reset of them for help. Unfortunately help didn't arrive as the Autobots took another big step back.

The scout sighed and reminded himself to get them back afterwards, but for now, he focused on not riling up Arcee any further.

Their embrace was held for a while.

…

About an hour later, things had returned back to normal and with Arcee calmed down, the Autobots and humans could now enjoy some time to just relax and do whatever they wanted to. Optimus had returned from his patrol and was told of what happened.

"Thank you Bumblebee" he had said to the young scout before heading off to his own quarters. Apparently Agent Fowler had been given loads of paperwork to complete, mostly about the two not so new 'new' recruits and of course, the Prime had offered to help. Now however, he realized that it was a mistake because even on his giant desk, the papers piled up in stacks that numbered over a dozen.

Right now, Miko was and the other 'bots were listening to Ultra Magnus tell some war stories. It seems that the strict lieutenant had softened up a bit, probably due to Jack's last request, and he's been using the word 'soldier' less. The others have noticed this change and were grateful for his new attitude towards them. Not a lot of them liked being called 'soldiers', especially since it meant Ultra Magnus say them as people underneath him and not equals.

All of a sudden, Ultra Magnus was interrupted by Raf.

"Guys! You might want to come and see this!"

The Autobots, including Optimus who had just walked in, went over to Raf to see what he was looking at. The young boy had some sort of picture up on his laptop and he pulled it up on the giant computer console so that they could see it better. It seemed to be some sort of mining site where two workers were busy digging away. However, the most important part of the image were the red crystals, sitting in the middle.

"I was scavenging the internet looking for…" Raf trailed off slightly, taking a second to look over at Arcee. "Anyways, I found this and it looks to be important. The article said that the miners didn't know what it was."

Ratchet peered closely at the image and his optics immediately picked up the red crystals.

"Oh my…"

"Red energon" Optimus finished for him.

"Here? On Earth?" Ratchet puzzled.

"What's red energon?" Raf asked, looking up from his computer.

"An extremely rare, and volatile form of energon" the medic explained. "Refined itnto fuel, it provides the power of hyper speed."

"We must have Agent Fowler clear the area of all humans, in the event that we are not the only ones who have discovered its location."

"Sweet! A new mission! I've been aching to get my hands on some 'cons!" Smokescreen exclaimed.

"Haha! Now you're talking like a real wrecker Smokey!" Bulkhead said happily, fist bumping with the rookie. His legs were still injured and Wheeljack still hasn't made a full recovery so they weren't able to go out into the field.

"Optimus, I want to go on this mission" Arcee said stepping forward, shocking everyone.

"Arcee, I am not sure if you are ready for active duties, judging by your current stature."

"Optimus, please. Losing Jack was hard for me, still is, but I'm still an Autobot and I know that I can still fight."

The Prime seemed to be considering her statement, looking at her pleading expression. He could see that she desperately wanted to go and he eventually caved in.

"Very well Arcee, you will accompany Bumblebee and I for this mission."

"Thanks Optimus."

"Wait, what about me?" Smokescreen asked.

"Given our lack of resources at the moment…" Optimus started, nodding towards Bulkhead and Wheeljack, "I believe it is best if we use them wisely. You and Ultra Magnus will remain here and under the circumstances that we need back-up, you will be sent in."

The rookie sighed in disappointment. "Oh alright…"

"You will have other chances sol-, Smokescreen" Ultra Magnus said, catching himself before he said soldier. He placed a hand on the rookie shoulder and gave his best smile, which wasn't really big mind you. He reminded himself to work on that and watched as the Autobots walked over ot the groundbridge.

…

Starscream stood hunched over, looking at the screen of the small console. He was frustrated due to the lack of technology, but he was managing and he couldn't complain about that.

The ex-con was busy skewering the internet for any signs of Cybertronian activity, passing by a tap dancing monkey which made him laugh. He continued to swipe across the screen until something caught his eye. The same picture Raf had found popped up on the console and he looked at it, intrigued by his discovery.

"Ignorant life-forms have no idea of what they uncovered: red energon" Starscream said menacing.

"Not only will I be stronger, but I will be faster!"

"Significantly faster…"

The ex-con got the coordinates of the dig site and headed over to his make-shift storage vault, grabbing the Mass Shifter off of a shelf.

"You never know when a little height will come in handy."

Starscream then headed over to his groundbridge and power it up.

"That red energon will be mine!"

…

Out from the groundbridge, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Arcee jumped forward, getting into a three-way defensive stance. Once they saw that the area was clear, they lowered their weapons and continued.

They were in some sort of cargo area with large containers to one side and a lake to another. It was dark, which helped keep their cover, and it seems Agent Fowler was able to have the humans evacuated from the area.

Bumblebee noticed the change in light and asked in beeps.

"Rafael said that we are now in the part of the world known as China, which is located directly across from the United States. It stands to reason that when it is day there, it is night here." Optimus answered.

The three Autobots walked forward until they reached a crane that held a large container. Inside was a glowing red light and when they looked closely, they saw that it was indeed red energon.

"Fowler couldn't have the crane operator lower the thing?" Arcee asked, returning back to her sassy nature.

"The humans must have been preparing to transport the crystals to a cargo ship when they received his evacuation order." Optimus said. "Bumblebee, you and I will climb up the crane to retrieve the red energon."

"And what about me Optimus?" Arcee questioned.

"You will remain here and keep a close eye out for any Decepticons. We will be vulnerable while we climb the structure and will need someone to contact us if we are to fall under attack."

The two-wheeler nodded and made her way over to a container where she could remain hidden while having a close eye out for her teammates. While she did that, Bumblebee and Optimus began to scale the crane, swinging from one supporter beam to another. She realized that Optimus still doesn't think she's ready for a full mission, which is probably why he side-lined her with an over-watch task. After all, she could climb that crane in seconds and that's the only logical explanation to the leader's orders.

Not soon later, Optimus and Bumblebee reached the top and the two began to make their way over to the swinging crate, watching their step to make sure they don't fall. As they did that, Arcee noticed a groundbridge open up to the side and immediately jumped out of cover, activating her arm blades to greet the visitor. She would show Optimus she could take on a full fledge mission.

The two-wheeler glared at the swirling green vortex and a moment later, Starscream emerged, jumping when he saw Arcee glaring at her.

"Starscream!" she said, preparing to charge.

"Why hello Arcee. Would you be so kind to lead me towards the red energon?" he asked sinisterly.

"The day I give up anything to you is the day I fall!"

Arcee charged at the ex-con who flinched backwards in surprise. He met her blades with his arms, blocking them from making contact with any vital parts. Unfortunately for him, she had caught him with his guard down and now all he could do was back-up and block her attempts at off-lining him.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had the mass shifter and he decided to give it a try, waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so.

"Are you sure about that? I remember you 'giving up' Cliffjumper to me and we all know what happened afterwards…"

"I never gave Cliffjumper to you! You killed him in cold blood! I should have ended you before and I won't hesitate to do that again."

"Uh uh uh, I'd watch your mouth Arcee. What if Optimus heard your little threat?" Starscream mocked, blocking another series of slices. "You know, after this is over, I may go and visit your new partner. What's his name, Jack? Yes, Jack and I will get along just fine once I rip out his heart."

The two-wheeler stopped her onslaught, surprising the ex-con once again. She should be angry, infuriated, but instead she looked distraught and exposed. He couldn't tell what happened but her widened optics told him that he did something to jog up her memory.

Not taking any chances, he quickly used the opportunity to activate the Mass Shifter, growing five feet taller than before, now towering over the lonesome two-wheeler. He grinned as he peered downwards and quickly thought of how he wanted to dispose of her.

Starscream eventually decided to end her just how he ended Cliffjumper, crouching down and lifting his clawed hands to do so. However in the corner of his eye, he saw Optimus and Bumblebee crawling across the crane that held the red energon. Quickly remembering what he came here to do, he kicked aside Arcee, sending her crashing into a container before he ran over to the crane.

"Autobots! That red energon is mine!"

Optimus and Bumblebee looked over to see the giant Starscream making his way towards them.

"Bumblebee, protect the red energon at all costs!" the Prime ordered, activating his blasters and taking shots at the ex-con. Bumblebee did the same, however their shots didn't even faze him at all.

"I thought you were smarter than that Optimus" Starscream mocked as he came closer. He picked up the scout with his two fingers; bring him up to his face to look at him closely. "You look so small, then again you were always quiet short."

Bumblebee furrowed his eyebrows and responded by shooting him in the face.

"Argg! You'll pay for that bug!"

With that, he threw the scout high into the air towards the lake. A long held beep came from Bumblebee as he fell downwards, disappearing when he hit the water with a splash.

Optimus had on time to go after Bumblebee and was forced to focus on dodging Starscream's attempts at slicing him. He jumped weaved, rolled, and did everything in his power to move away form his deadly claws but being on a crane wasn't helping that.

"Hold still Optimus and I'll make this quick" Starscream said, slamming his fist down. The crane shook violently and he didn't notice one entire chunk of red energon slip out of the container and land on the floor.

The Prime, seeing that he was eventually going to be caught, quickly activated his com-link.

"Ratchet, Starscream is here with the Mass Shifter and we require back-up."

"On the way Optimus" Ratchet said before he ended the transmission.

Optimus jumped over another swipe and desperately fired four shots, three of them harmlessly hitting Starscream's giant body, but one just so happened to hit the Mass Shifter. Sparks began to fly out and Starscream back-up, inspecting the device.

"What did you do?" he asked.

The Prime didn't answer, instead sending a series of shots at the ex-con. He was focused on holding him off until Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen could arrive.

Lucky for him, that back-up arrived sooner than he thought and a moment later, the two emerged from the groundbridge.

"Smokescreen, do what you must. Optimus and I will provide cover" Ultra Magnus ordered as he activated his own blasters. The rookie nodded and started sprinting at Starscream, heading straight for him at top speed.

"What are you doing?" the ex-con asked, confused at why Smokescreen was running straight towards him.

He got his answer soon enough because Smokescreen jumped up as high as he could, getting over to about the height of his arm. Starscream though the rookie was stupid and merely batted him away, however that was exactly what Smokescreen wanted. Secretly he had the Phase Shifter activated and when Starscream batted him away, all he did was allow him to phase the Mass Shifter right off of his arm.

"No! I've been deceived!" Starscream yelled as he shrunk down to his normal size.

Once he stopped shrinking he looked up to see Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen towering over him.

"Uh, let's talk about this…"

"How about no" Smokescreen countered.

Realizing he was either going to be terminated or taken as prisoner, none of which he wanted, Starscream did the only thing he could do. He raised his arm missile and fired, blowing up the entire crate full of red energon along with the crane Optimus was standing on.

"Optimus!" Smokescreen yelled as he and Ultra Magnus ran to their leader's safety.

The ex-con used this next opportunity as his getaway, pulling out his groundbridge remote and activating the portal. While he ran towards the swirling vortex, he spotted the chunk that had fallen out and quickly picked it up before he entered the groundbridge.

"Stop Starscream" Ultra Magnus said as he blasted at the groundbridge, however it was too late.

The vortex closed and Starscream managed to take the last bit of red energon.

…

"You're injuries are not serious and you will be fully recovered after a night's rest."

"Thank you old friend."

Optimus, Arcee, and Bumblebee sat in the medical room while Ratchet did some extra scans just in case. Next to him was everyone else, looking at them with worried expressions.

It true that they didn't have any serious injuries. In fact, Arcee was the only one with a little scratch on her back from her clash with the container. Other than that, Optimus had managed to get away from the crane before it exploded and Bumblebee was mostly wet from his little 'swim' in the lake. Although, if anything was injured, it was Arcee's courage and pride.

If she hadn't frozen up mid-way through battle, she wouldn't have lost to Starscream so easily. Not only that but she failed to warn the others which could have gave them time to retrieve the red energon. She blamed herself that they returned empty handed and she was starting to see what Optimus was so worried about.

"You know, we didn't come back completely empty handed" Smokescreen pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Miko asked.

The rookie smirked and brought the hand that had been behind his back forward. Resting in his palm was the Mass Shifter, which had now stopped sparking after Optimus' blast and had returned to normal size.

"That Mass Shifter!" Raf exclaimed.

"Nice going kid, you're not so much of a lost cause after all" Wheeljack joked as he slapped him on the back.

Ratchet grabbed the device and inspected it carefully, running a scan over it.

"It seems to have been damaged in battle."

"Yeah, Optimus blasted it once and it was sparking for a bit before it stopped." Smokescreen explained.

"Hmm, well I have some good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" Ratchet asked, learning the phrase after he heard Raf use it.

"Good news."

"Well it seems that the Mass Shifter is still functional and will not be harmful to the wearer…"

"And the bad news?"

"It has lost its function of growing." Ratchet said.

Bumblebee asked a question with his beeps.

"The Mass Shifter has two functions, one to grow, and the other to shrink. It seems that when Starscream had it in its growing function, Optimus' blast must have fried the circuits. Now it can only shrink its user." The medic explained.

"Can't you fix it?" Miko asked.

"No, the knowledge needed to create such a device is out of my understanding. Otherwise I would have not been so intent on calling it 'bad news'."

"That is alright old friend. The Mass Shifter may be at a loss, however we must think of the bright side. No longer will we have to deal with overgrown Decepticons and I believe the relic may still have a use to us." Optimus said.

"Yes, I'll see what I can do. In the meantime I suggest you get your rest and recharge your energon. Especially you Arcee, my scanners indicate that you have been low ever since this morning."

"Arcee?"

Ratchet watched as the two-wheeler ignored him, instead trudging off to her quarters sadly. He was about to go after her and force her to take some energon but he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"it is best if we allow Arcee to recover alone." Optimus said.

"Hopefully that recovery will be soon…"

…

 **Author's note: once again sorry for missing yesterday. I was thinking of an excuse but really I don't have any. Just got lazy, yeah, I know I suck.**

 **Anyways, I just want to make it clear that there is no Arcee and Bumblebee pairing. I just had to choose one of the 'bots and Bee seemed like the right choice.**

 **Hope you enjoyed and be sure to leave a review. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The only sound that Jack could hear was that of his stomach growling and the shuffling of his feet. He was practically slouching while he walked, dragging his tired legs across the ground.

 _I'm… so… hungry…_

It's been about week since he left on for his new life, but to him it felt like an eternity has gone by. For the first few days, things were going pretty good. He learned of the things he needed to do each day and he's started to get into routine. However nature is never predictable and that is why the problems started to occur.

First off, fish was the only source of meat he could get his hands on. Every morning he would wade in the lake, waiting for a fish to swim by. Once he knew that he had it, he would snatch it up and cook it. He had gotten better at catching fish and even got a 'congratulations' from Agent 000. The problem was, the fish seemed to have their own personal schedule for when they decided to show up. Near the weekends it was fine, but for some reason, during the middle half of the week, the lake was completely void of fish. Well, it wasn't completely void but there was no way Jack was going to catch anything if he had to swim towards it. So, when the fish weren't around, he had to have an alternative means of filling his stomach up.

Berries were the only answer Jack could think of. They were delicious, easy to pick, and didn't decide to 'not show up'. After the first day of the 'fish famine', Jack had stockpiled up on berries, saving them for the next day. That led to his next problem which was that the berries were very, very small. If he ate them one at a time, he could slide it down his throat without chewing it. The fact that they lacked in size meant that he didn't get enough food to fill him up. Another problem was that a) berries can only taste good for so long until they start to get annoying, and b) berries need time to grow, which meant that he couldn't pick more even if he wanted to. He realized that you can't survive off of mere berries and the rest of the week had gone by with a half empty stomach every day.

At one point, he had stalked a deer through the woods, holding up the katana and debating whether or not to pounce onto it. If it tried to run away, Agent 000 would have taken over so no matter what, Jack could have killed it. But even after knowing that, he debated it over with himself. Meat to fill his stomach, versus killing a peaceful animal. He and the agent had talked it over until one of them brought up the deciding factor: none of them knew what parts they could eat and couldn't eat. Not only that but they also didn't know how to cook one. Eventually Jack had let it go and walked back to his camp with an empty and disappointed stomach.

The final issue was not about food but about location. Because he was basically living against the side of the mountain, the wind would always go by him first before it went up to the peak. Every night, he would wake up to a chill crawling down his back and not once has he ever gotten a good sleep. Being up in Canada didn't help either since it was only cold air that came by. After a week of suffering from both hunger and the cold, Jack had finally decided to move camp.

That is why he is currently hiking through the forest, heading away from the Rocky Mountains. In fact, he's been hiking all day and really, he just wanted to lie down and curl up into a ball. Well actually, he wanted to lie down and curl up into a ball on Arcee's lap but that wasn't happening anytime soon.

The teen quickly shook his head to stop himself from thinking about that. He's spent the entire week feeling bad about himself and he's just about had it. He's made his decision and he was intent on sticking with it, whether his mind argues against him or not. Other than taking out the photo every night before he went to sleep, he hadn't deliberately set aside time to think about those who he had left behind and he wasn't about to start now.

The sky was darkening indicating the night was approaching and Jack still hadn't found a place to call 'home' yet. His stomach growled even more and he could already feel the Goosebumps running up his arms. Jack quickly pulled out his hoodie from his bag, slipping it on and pulling the hood over his head. Half-blinded by the hood, he continued to trudge through the darkening forest.

 _How you holding up?_ Agent 000 asked.

 _What does it look like?_

 _You know I can take over at any time if you need a break._

 _No, I can do this. I choose this path and I'm not about to give up._

Sub-consciously Agent 000 rolled his eyes. Multiple times a day would he offer his assistance to Jack but the teen was extremely stubborn. Sometimes he would be doing something that involved using one his special skills, such as lifting something heavy or running after something. However Jack still never let him take over. The agent had to admit, he admired the teen when he stood his ground but part of him worried that one day he's collapse from exhaustion.

 _So, uh, nice day we're having._ The agent said.

 _Really?_

 _Hey, I'm just trying to strike up a conversation. I've been told that talking helps when you're hungry and tired._

 _You've been_ _told_ _?_

 _Ok, I've_ _read_ _that talking helps when you're hungry and tired._

Jack sighed, but smiled as well. Agent 000's been getting better at lightening up the mood. Kind of makes him forget about the things he's done in the past, not that it really matters anymore. They're both fugitives now, living off on their own with nothing but their own skin and the wonderful wildlife known as nature.

All of a sudden, something got Jack to pipe up. He straightened out his back and he felt a surge of energy go through him. That something… that something smelled amazing, as if new life was being pumped through his nostrils and up into his brain.

 _Oh my God, do you smell that?_

 _I do. Still not sure how, but I do._

Jack began sprinting towards the direction of the smell, following his nose and nothing else. He ran past trees, ducked by branches, and hurdled over bushes just to reach the faint smell of something amazing. Like a trail, he followed the scent in the air until he finally reached where it came from.

Looking around, Jack saw that he was deep in the forest, much farther than he was before. A nice lake that shimmered in the moon light was a bit more south and large trees hung over top, blocking out the Canadian chill. The teen realized that this is the perfect spot to set up but it seems like someone beat him to it.

In the middle of the clearing was a camp fire, larger than the one he was using and cooking up something he never thought he'd see again. A chicken, large enough to fill him up for a week, was strewn across the fire by a stick impaled from its sides. The golden shade and amazing smell made Jack drool as he stumbled forward.

Quickly Jack looked around, trying to find out who was cooking up the chicken. To the left was a small pile of bags and surrounding the fire were a few logs, but other than that, it didn't seem like there were any humans in sight.

Tired, cold, and hungry, Jack sat down on a log and enjoyed the warm heat coming from the flames. He closed his eyes and smiled, relaxing every part of his body. He wondered if whoever set up the fire would allow him to have a taste of the chicken. He knew it was a little selfish and very inconsiderate since he didn't do anything to deserve a nice meal, but he was hungry.

 _It's worth a shot…_

Because he had his eyes closed and his mind floating around different thoughts, Jack didn't hear the person sneaking up from behind him. He also didn't know this person was holding a knife and was coming closer by the second.

Suddenly, the unknown human stepped on a twig which resulted in a load snap to echo through the air. Instantly, Jack shot up, pulling out his own knife and getting into a defensive stance.

"Woah!" the teen said, jumping back.

In front of him was a man, possible around forty to fifty years of age. He had long flourishing hair, much like that of his own, and deep blue eyes that inspected him over. The man was tall, maybe around 6'1" or 6'2", and looked to be quite built. He wore a slightly dirty brown jacket and gray sweatpants that covered up his legs. The hiking boots on his feet told jack that he's been here for a while. The question is, how long is a while.

The man's eyes scanned his body and Jack tensed up, not sure what to expect. After a moment of staring, the man finally broke the silence by letting out a good-hearted laugh, surprising Jack significantly.

"Sorry for giving you a scare. I thought you were a bear or something." The man said, putting the knife back into its sheath. Jack did the same.

"No, that's my bad. I shouldn't have come over" Jack apologized. "I was just attracted by the smell of that chicken you're roasting up."

The man let out another laugh. "When I left, I expected some wild animals to be around when I came back. Guess I'm lucky you came. You probably scared off all those creatures."

Jack scratched his head, not sure what to say. "Uh, yeah, I guess I did…"

The man smiled and stepped forward, extending a hand in which Jack gladly shook.

"The name's Carter Hill."

"I'm Jackson Darby but I go by Jack. Nice to meet you Mr. Hill."

"Nice to meet you too Jack. By the way, I don't want any of that Mr. Hill stuff. Call me Carter."

Carter looked over Jack's shoulder and saw that the chicken was nice and crispy. He let go of Jack's hand and made his way over to the fire.

"Looks like the chicken is ready" he said as he took off the entire stick, with the impaled chicken still on it. Carter looked over his shoulder to see Jack drooling over the cooked meat and he laughed. "You look pretty hungry Jack. You're welcome to have some chicken if you'd like."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, it's fine. I wasn't going to finish this entire thing anyways."

"Thanks Carter."

"Ah no thanks needed. Helping someone out is what I do."

Jack smiled as he watched the man impale two sticks into the ground before placing stick with the chicken on top. Carter seemed like a really nice man and Jack couldn't help but feel open towards him. He kind of reminded him of Optimus and how kind he is, although he quickly shook that memory away.

After a moment, Carter pulled up a log and he and Jack dug in. Jack especially enjoyed it, not having been able to eat something decent in days and he devoured the chicken leg in seconds.

"Wow, this is amazing" The teen said as he cleaned off the bone. "Where did you get the chicken? I didn't think there were any around here."

Carter laughed. "You're right, there aren't. I have a friend who owns a farm a couple miles east. Once a week he brings me a plump chicken and in return, I give him some fish."

Jack made a face when he said fish. "Ugh, don't get me started with fish. I almost starved because those things decided not to show up anymore."

The man chuckled again and Jack joined in. There was something about Carter that seemed familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"So, where you from Jack?"

"Jasper, Nevada" he answered before he even thought about it.

 _Why am I being so open to him?_ He thought to himself.

 _I noticed that too kid. You better watch what you say._

The man whistled. "Nevada, huh? That's pretty far from here. What are you doing so up north?"

This time Jack thought before he spoke. "I needed to get away from everything. I love the wild so I thought I'd try surviving on my own for a while. Took a plane and hitchhiked my way over here."

It was a lie, but there was some truth in there. He did come out here to get away from everything, but how he got here was the lie.

"I know what you're talking about Jack. I also came out here to get away from normal life." Carter sighed.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Hmm, it's been a couple months now. I lost count a while ago."

"Wow, a couple months? That's crazy that you've been surviving out here for so long."

Carter scratched his head. "Yeah, well truth be told, I go back into town once in a while. It's about a day's walk but it's necessary, otherwise I'd probably die out here."

Jack nodded his head, sub-consciously cursing himself for not thinking about that. He planned to live out here for maybe years, and not once did he realize that he may need to replenish his supplies. At least he had his money with him, safely stored deep in his bag. Maybe he could get

"So, how about you Carter? Where you from?" Jack asked, continuing the conversation.

"I was born and raised in the Toronto region…" The man looked at Jack to see if he recognized the place. "It's in the province of Ontario near Niagara Falls. Anyways, I grew up there and it's where I can truly call home. After high school, I studied at the University of Waterloo for computer programming and eventually got my degree."

"That's pretty cool. I never thought of myself as being someone who works well with computers, but I know a friend who is a master at technology" Jack said, referring to Raf.

The man laughed. "At the time, I was one of the few people who dared try out the course. You're friend has chosen a very nice pathway, although nowadays, computer programming is taken by practically everyone."

"What did you do after you graduated?" Jack questioned, continuing the conversation.

"Hmm, excellent question. After I graduated, I got a job and worked for a good few years, but I never really liked it. Sure, computers were something I enjoyed and as a bonus, something I was good at, but I felt as though my life could be so much more. After my contract expired, I enlisted into the army along with two of my brothers. During my years in the Canadian army, I was sent on a total of four tours, all of which were in Afghanistan. While in my first tour, I met a soldier who had been separated from her squadron. It was love at first sight, regardless of the situation, and a few months later, we married."

"Where is she now?"

Carter stopped talking for a moment and looked down at the ground, telling Jack that something had happened. His guess was verified when he continued.

"On my last tour, my squadron came under heavy fire after we walked into an ambush. During the fire fight, a grenade was thrown which landed right next to the wall that my wife and younger brother were using as cover. Next thing I know, the wall explodes… and so do the two people who I fought to protect."

"I'm so sorry."

Carter nodded and sighed. "It was tough having seen them perish right before my eyes. I had never felt so at a loss until that one moment. My older brother had died earlier that month and I was the only one left. When I got back, I was transferred to an American military facility and tasked as just an average guard. I, personally, was happy to get away from the war and accepted the position immediately. Not long after, I requested a leave from the army which was given to me a couple days later."

"When I walked out of the building, happy to return back to the real world, I was surprised to see that everything had changed. I served for around six years and in that time, technology had developed and new improvements were being made every month. The education I had gotten was considered out-dated and it was tough for me to find a job. Eventually, I decided to get away from everything and here I am."

"Well, that's my life in a nutshell." Carter said, concluding his story.

"Wow, I, I don't really know what to say" Jack said, making the man laugh.

"You don't need to say anything. I'm glad that you listened. I haven't spoken to another human being in a while and man did it feel good."

The two laughed before Carter got up off his log.

"Well, we should probably get some shut-eye. Especially you, you look completely wiped out."

"Yeah, I haven't had a nice night of sleep ever since I got here. My bag isn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on."

"You can use one of my sleeping bags if you want" the man offered, putting out the fire before walking over to his bags.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, I have spares for spares. I'd be happy to give you one."

Carter turned around and threw a rolled up sleeping bag at Jack who caught it with both hands.

"Thanks Carter."

"Like I said before Jack, I'm happy to help."

The two of them spread out in the clearing and crawled into their sleeping bags. Jack sighed when he zipped up the edge of the sack. He hadn't been able to sleep comfortably in a week and now, it felt as if he was back home in his bed.

However, before he went to sleep, he made sure to pull out the picture and stare at it for a moment. His memories of Arcee washed over him and he couldn't help but wish she was here with him, or vice versa. He remembered the nights where she would snuggle up right against him and fall asleep in his arms. He remembered waking up to see the most beautiful thing in the world right before his eyes. Jack sighed, coming back to reality and knowing that those days were over.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Carter watching him and he quickly flashed a smile to the man. Even thought he literally met him a few hours ago, he felt as though he's already formed a strong bond with him. There was still something about the man that seemed so familiar to him, but that would be impossible judging by his life story.

Jack shrugged and put the thought aside, happy that he met a kind man. He placed the picture back into his pocket and lay down, staring up at the stars.

"Good night Carter." He said without turning his head.

"Night Jack."

The stars were the last thing he saw before his eyes closed shut.

…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Jack woke up the next morning to the smell of a nice aroma in the air. Stretching his arms and legs out, it took him a few moments to realize where he was. When his eyes adjusted to the sun light peering down from him, he started to get up, only to fall back down on his back. He had forgotten about his sleeping bag lended to him by Carter, which probably explains why he had such a nice sleep.

He and Agent 000 had a very interesting conversation last night. Aside from their usual combat training which featured targeting practice with a sniper rifle, they had spent the rest of the time talking about what to do next, but more specifically about Carter.

The whole idea of Jack leaving everything behind was to live on his own. That way, if he ever lost control as he did on the Nemesis, no one would suffer. Knowing this, it raised the question, should he stick with Carter or not?

So far, the man has shown him nothing but kindness. He was gentle, funny, generous, and was openly welcome for Jack to stay with him, although the last part was what worried Agent 000. While his story checked out and made sense, there was something about him that wasn't right. Perhaps it was because he hadn't known the man for too long, or perhaps it was because he was tired. Either way, Jack still felt the sense of familiarity around him.

After countless discussions on what to do, they both decided it couldn't hurt to stick around for a bit. After all, Carter's been surviving here much longer than Jack has and it would be best if they learned a thing or two from him. If what he said was true, which was that it is necessary to go into town once in a while for supplies, then Jack needed to know when or where to go when that time comes. Also, with two people, they would be able to do double the work. Of course, it still worried him if the darkness inside ever decided to show up again, but he and the agent had found out that as long as Jack keeps his emotions in check, they could fight back against the force.

As he finished up his morning stretch, Jack began to unzip the side of his sleeping bag. As he crawled out, he noticed where the delightful aroma was coming from. Nearby was a cut up fish, plastered out right before him along with some berries and a canister full of water. Even though he stuffed himself yesterday, his stomach growled just from the sight of the food and he practically drooled on the ground.

"Haha, guess you're finally awake" came Carter's voice.

Jack looked over at one of the logs to see Carter whittling a piece of wood with his knife.

"How long have I been asleep?" Jack asked.

"I don't know the exact time but it's the afternoon right now. You slept through all of the morning so I decided to prepare you some brunch when you awoke."

The teen looked back at the pile of food in front of him before thanking the man. He then chowed down, happy to fill his stomach with some more nutrients. Starting with the water since his throat was extremely dry, he chugged it down all at once, wiping away the water from his mouth when he was done. Next he moved to the berries, something he's become all too accustom to. He picked up a plump red one with a tint of purple and inspected it. He spent a week eating nothing but berries but has never seen one like this before.

"Hey Carter, I've never seen one of these before" Jack said, holding up the berry.

"Hmm?" the man said, looking up from his whittling. "Oh, that's one of the rarer barriers around. Took me days to track it down but now I know exactly where to find them. Try it out, they're delicious."

Jack looked at the berry once again before plopping it into his mouth. Immediately a wave of fresh, juicy berry juice flowed down his throat. It was sweet but also just enough to give it a little pizzazz in its taste. It was like nothing he's ever tasted before and his face showed it since Carter began to laugh.

"That's the same face I made when I first tried it out" the man said.

He smiled back before retreating back to his food. Not soon later, Jack wiped his mouth with a nearby leaf and disposed of the remaining fish bones. Once he was done that, he was invited over to the log by Carter.

"Do you know how to whittle?" he asked.

"Not really. I've seen it before but never quite learned how" Jack answered.

"Here, I'll teach you."

The man revealed what he was working on to Jack while settling it down on the ground. It was a perfect replica of a dog and he even managed to get the fur markings in as well. Jack was amazed by how detailed such a small item could be and looked at it in awe.

"That's incredible" he complimented.

Carter shrugged his shoulders. "It's actually one of the easier things to whittle. I could show you if you'd like."

Jack nodded and watched as the man gave walked him through the basics of whittling. After giving his some tips and pointers, he let the teen go to work and they both began carving into the small pieces of wood.

After about an hour or so, Jack looked at what he had been doing. So far, he had gotten the basic outline done with the four legs and an area for a head, although it didn't look like a dog yet. He took a peak at Carter's and was surprised to see the man already working on the final touches. Once again, the man's carving looked exactly like a dog, this time a poodle, and every aspect was on point.

"How's you do that? Mine looks like a demented horse" Jack said.

Carter looked over and laughed. "It's not bad for a start. You just need practice, that's all."

"Yeah you're right." Jack said, joining in. The man had a sense of humor that matched his and that's what made it comfortable to talk with him. Jack felt a sense of trust in the man, even though he's never met him until yesterday.

"So Jack, I've been thinking" Carter started. "Since both of us are living out here and none of us are planning on leaving any time soon, how about we team up? Survive in the wilderness with the two of us rather than going all lone wolf."

 _What do you think? Should I say yes?"_ Jack asked Agent 000.

 _You're choice kid. It wouldn't hurt to stick around._

Jack turned to the man and smiled.

"Alright Carter, you got yourself a deal."

…

 **Author's Note: Feedback is appreciated. I don't know why but these chapters have been weird to write. Probably because I've never been camping before so most of this is based on basic things I've seen in movies or simple internet searches. :P**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Things have been quiet recently. Aside from the situation regarding Jack, there has been a lack of Decepticon activity as well as anything important. If they're not driving the humans or going out on patrol, the Autobots are mostly sitting around the base, waiting for something to happen.

Ratchet's been spending the time to work on his gadgets, testing different mechanics and updating all his technology with the help of Raf. Optimus mostly spends his time decoding the Iacon database, although he's been having a difficult time recently. Ultra Magnus uses his free time to learn more about human culture, spending hours watching people from his parking spot near the curb. The two wreckers have been keeping their football skills in check, tossing around a giant sized football around the empty desert. As for the two younger 'bots Bumblebee and Smokescreen, they're mostly playing video games or secretly racing around.

The only Autobot that the group doesn't know about is Arcee who has been keeping to herself lately. Morning, afternoon, and night, she's hiding out in her room. What she does in there is still a question for everyone else but it's obvious to them that Jack's departure has had a greater affect on her than they thought it would. Although, the two-wheeler still peaks her head out once in a while, saying 'hi' to everyone in the control center before she goes off on patrol. Her emotions have been extremely difficult to read and even Optimus had a hard time determining her state of mind. At the end of the day, the group believed it was best to let her be alone, not that she was giving them a choice to start.

It was Saturday morning, exactly two weeks since Jack's departure. As usual, the kids were over at the base, talking and playing with the other Autobots while the adults went and did their own thing.

"98…99…600! Nice only 400 more to go!"

Bulkhead groaned and collapsed on the ground. "Miko please, I need a break."

"Oh come on Bulk. You need to get back in shape so that you can scrap some more 'cons." The green wrecker gave her a look and she smirked. "Like I don't know what you're thinking."

"You're right" Bulkhead admitted with a sigh. "But this is just ridiculous. 1000 leg lifts?!"

"Look at the bright side, once you finish these, you'll be one step closer to getting on your feet again." Miko said cheerfully.

The two of them got back on their sides and began lifting their legs with Miko counting and Bulkhead groaning after every number. Near the side were Wheeljack and Smokescreen who were watching and laughing as the green wrecker struggled to keep up with Miko's tempo.

"Keep going Bulk, only 372 to go!" Wheeljack mocked.

"Jackie's hurt too, why don't you make him do this?" Bulkhead asked his partner.

"Because lifting my leg isn't going to heal a punctured spark chamber" the white wrecker answered, still getting a kick out of Bulkhead's torture.

Just then, Arcee walked into the command center to check out what was happening. She heard a noise come from here while she was in her quarters and while she thought it would pass by soon, it only got worse.

"Hey Arcee, what's up?" Wheeljack greeted as she walked towards them. It was nice to see her out of her room although he could tell that nothing has changed.

"I heard something that sounded like a dying cow come from the control center. Know anything about it?"

The wrecker turned to Smokescreen behind him and shared a laugh with him.

"Is that the sound you were hearing?" Smokescreen chuckled, pointing at Bulkhead. As he said that, the green wrecker groaned again, this time louder and filled with agony. The three Autobots plus Raf laughed again while Arcee merely raised an eyebrow.

"What am I looking at here?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"Don't worry about it" Smokescreen answered, laughing with Wheeljack again.

The sound of the proximity alarms went off throughout the base and soon after, two semis and a black and yellow Urbana 500 pulled up. Out of the Urbana's passenger seat came Raf who grabbed his computer form Bumblebee's back seat, allowing the scout to transform.

"Did you find anything?" Ratchet asked, walking towards them.

"Negative. We patrolled three different sectors and found no sign of an energon signal, or Decepticon activity" Ultra Magnus answered authoritatively.

"You think Megatron is planning something big again?" Raf asked.

"Perhaps, however I believe it is highly unlikely that he is. At this stage in the war, the best action for both sides to take it uncovering another set of coordinates from the Iacon database." Optimus stated. "As such, I have been spending many extra hours in my work because surely Megatron is doing the same."

Raf nodded before he and Bee left to join with the others. While they did that, Optimus returned to his work at the control console while Ratchet did a complete check of Ultra Magnus' weapons system and armor.

"Hey guys, what'd we miss?" Raf asked.

"Nothing much, except that" Wheeljack laughed, nodding towards Bulkhead and Miko's session.

Bumblebee immediately burst out laughing with Smokescreen joining in soon after. There was something about watching a huge green robot painfully doing leg-lifts while trying to keep up with a small human girl 20x smaller in size that got them laughing again. It's too bad that it didn't last because as soon as Miko counted to 1000 Bulkhead collapsed on the floor, looking like he wasn't going to get up until tomorrow.

"Aw it's over already?" Wheeljack joked. Bulkhead shot him a glare and the white wrecker took a step back, raising his hands.

After a couple minutes, Bulkhead finally managed to regain his bearings and dragged himself over to the others, annoyingly pushing anyone mocking him away.

"So, what's next?" Miko asked.

She was given her answer soon enough as another alarm went off in the base.

"What is it Optimus? Did you manage to decode another Iacon entry?" Ratchet asked as he and ultra Magnus returned from the medical bay.

"I do not believe so. I was in the middle of an entry when the console went off. I believe your expertises are better suited for this."

Optimus stepped back as Ratchet got to work, going through his softwares to see where the alarm came from. While he did that, the others crowded around, excited that they finally would get some action.

"That's strange…" Ratchet said, scratching his chin.

"What is it Ratchet?" Smokescreen asked.

"Did you find Jack?" Arcee blurted out accidentally, immediately retreating away and looking down at the ground sheepishly.

"I'm sorry Arcee but I have not located Jack yet" the medic said in a soothing voice before returning to the others. "What is strange is that our scanners are picking up an Autobot signal, however it is disappearing and reappearing every so often."

Bumblebee beeped a question.

"Perhaps, however there is the alternative that it is not a trap but an Autobot in distress" Optimus answered. "Ratchet, can you give any more detail on the Autobot signal?"

The medic shook his head. "No. Because the signal has been fluctuating, I have not been able to track it movement. As you mentioned Bumblebee, that may be a high indication for a trap, however it could also mean that the Autobot's communications systems have been damaged."

"Very well, if there is one of our own who is in need of assistance, I will take the risk of falling into a trap. Ratchet, prepare a groundbridge." Optimus ordered.

"Woohoo! I've been dying for some action!" Smokescreen whooped, jumping up and down and punching the air in a fighting stance.

"Actually Optimus, my medical expertise may be of use to you in this situation. I also recommend sending Ultra Magnus out to test out his newly updated weapon and armor systems." Ratchet suggested.

The Prime nodded. "As you wish old friend. Ratchet, Ultra Magnus and I will advance while Bumblebee, Smokescreen, and Arcee standby in case we are in need of back-up."

"Aw, second-lined again…" Smokescreen sadly expressed.

"Hey, at least you're not on Injured Reserve" Bulkhead shot back with Wheeljack nodding in agreement.

Behind them, the green swirling vortex appeared and Optimus, Ultra Magnus, and Ratchet stepped forwards.

"Bumblebee, if you may please operate the groundbridge?" Ratchet asked the scout who beeped in agreement.

"Alright let's go!" Miko exclaimed, about to slide down from the ladder when she felt a giant hand lift her back up.

"Uh, uh, uh, not this time Miko" Bulkhead said, earning a pout from the depressed girl.

"You and me both Miko" Smokescreen muttered.

Ratchet made sure he had all equipment needed and put the tools not connected to his body inside his compartment which would later be the back of his ambulance form. While he did that, Optimus stood in front of the groundbridge, waiting for his team to prepare. Once everyone was ready, he said the famous line everyone knows him for.

"Autobots, roll out!"

After transforming, the two semis and the ambulance disappeared into the groundbridge and a few seconds later, the entire vortex vanished.

…

As soon as they arrived, the three Autobots were already getting shot at. They seemed to be in the clearing of a small forest with large rocks and tall trees to their sides. Although, they didn't really get a second look because they were forced to take cover before they were shot to pieces.

"The Decepticons have already arrived. We must make haste in finding our fellow Autobot" Optimus ordered, firing some warning shots from behind cover.

As the two more experienced fighters shot back, Ratchet scanned the area, looking for anyone that would be considered an ally. He didn't find anyone but he did spot an Autobot ship parked a few miles out.

"Optimus I've located the ship" the medic said, motioning towards it.

"Understood, our objective is getting to that ship and aiding anyone who may be inside. Ultra Magnus, am I able to task you with escorting Ratchet to the objective?"

"You can count on me sir" the lieutenant answered.

Optimus nodded and gave the signal that he would provide cover fire. He put up three servos, lowering one by one until he no longer had any up. As the last finger went down, he jumped out of cover and sent a barrage of blasts at the squadrons of Vehicons. He dodged and weaved, getting all of their attentions while Ultra Magnus and Ratchet made a break for the ship.

With centuries of experience under his wing, Optimus easily avoided the oncoming shots, firing his own at the unorganized Vehicons. Although, there comes a point where the mightiest of warriors realize that they are outnumbered and when that happens, the best thing to do is take cover. That is exactly what Optimus did, rolling on the ground to avoid fire and ducking behind a rock.

While the Prime dealt with most of the Vehicons, there were still some who caught on to Ultra Magnus and Ratchet's play. The two Autobot's became under heavy fire since they were sprinting in an area without cover. The only things stopping them from getting shot were the Decepticons' lack of aim and the fact that they were a moving target. Other than that, they were sitting ducks… well more specifically moving ducks.

"Stay behind me" Ultra Magnus ordered, firing a round of blasts at the Vehicons. While most of them missed, a few made direct hits with the Decepticons and he was surprised to see his blasts decimating them.

"It appears like the upgrades have been successful" the lieutenant shouted over his shoulder.

"Yes, your systems are running at 100% capacity and are working flawlessly" Ratchet agreed, although he was more focused on not getting shot than Ultra Magnus' weapons.

It didn't take long for them to reach the ship and they used it as cover to defend against the oncoming squadron. Quickly, Ultra Magnus spotted the hatch near the back and pointed it out to the medic.

"Make haste Ratchet, I am not sure if I can hold them off for much longer" he ordered and the medic moved over.

After a multitude of tugs, he finally pulled the hatch open, carefully stepping into the ship. It was much larger than Wheeljack's or Ultra Magnus' own ships with two floors and multiple rooms. It was dark and he could see that all systems have been shut down. Ratchet quickly, but cautiously, moved around, feeling the occasional rock from outside.

While the medic scouted out the inside, Ultra Magnus struggled to hold the Vehicons off from the outside. He fired left and right and slowly he saw that he was making a dent in their forces, although that dent wasn't big enough for his liking.

Suddenly in the corner of his optic, he spotted Optimus dashing towards him. Behind the Prime was another wave of Vehicons, cut down to half their numbers but still enough to outnumber them 40-2. Optimus leaped over a boulder and came to a halt in front of the lieutenant, giving him a look that said 'you better get ready'.

"Sir, reinforcements may be beneficial to us in this situation" Ultra Magnus said, landing two head-shots and taking out a third with three blasts to the chest.

"I disagree. If they groundbridge to a bad position, they will be completely open to the Vehicons with no means of protecting themselves. We were lucky to avoid any fire when we arrived. I will not risk the safety of any Autobot, especially when it is unnecessary."

"I apologize sir, I should think before I suggest any ideas."

"Do not think badly of yourself old friend. You are a strong leader and I trust you with my life" Optimus said. "Now we must work together to disable the remaining forces."

The Prime received a nod from his lieutenant and his faceplate slid over, covering his mouth. He then changed his blasters into blades with Ultra Magnus doing the same. He shared one last look with his old friend before they jumped out of cover, slicing and stabbing the Vehicons who tried to go toe-to-toe with them.

…

The last Vehicon was off-lined and all was silent in the forest. Optimus looked over to Ultra Magnus who seemed to be holding up and checked over himself to make sure he didn't sustain any major injuries. Aside from a few burns, he was fine and the same could be said for his lieutenant.

Suddenly he realized that one of them were missing and he began searching the area.

"Where is Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"He is inside the ship, undoubtedly aiding the Autobot inside." Ultra Magnus replied.

The two adults walked over to the hatch of the ship. They were surprised to see Ratchet stepping out, empty handed and without anyone else with him.

"There is no one in there. It appears like they had abandoned the aircraft after they landed." The medic explained. "However, I do not believe it is merely one Autobot who has arrived. This ship is designed to hold four passengers and judging by the amount of equipment and other supplies, there were four Autobots who had escaped."

"Then we must find them" Optimus commanded. "The Decepticons will have reinforcements arrive soon and it would be wise to use this time to our advantage. Split up and-"

"Decepticon air supports inbound!" Ultra Magnus warned and the three of them quickly lied down on their stomachs, a line of blaster fire scattering right in front of them.

Looking up, a single jet flew by, circling around for another round. It was sleek and white, unlike the usual Decepticon colors, however the fact that it was shooting at them was all they needed to know that it was an enemy.

"Stay down" Optimus ordered and another round of blasts sprayed right next to them.

They looked up once again but were surprised to see the jet fly away. It disappeared into the forest and the three of them knew that they were going to be under attack soon.

"The Decepticons have changed their tactics" Ultra Magnus said, noticing the uncommon usage of a flyer to scout ahead before they launch an attack. During the war, that was mostly used by the Autobots and it seems like Megatron decided to use the idea as well.

"They have indeed" the Prime said. "We must be cautious with our surroundings; we could be attacked from any side."

The three Autobots went back-to-back-to-back, creating a triangle and watching every angel possible. Not knowing where the attack was coming from was something new and definitely an improvement to the Decepticon attack plan.

Suddenly, blaster fire was shot from the forest and Ultra Magnus was only able to jump away just in time. Immediately they began firing back but another barrage of shots were fired from behind them. Knowing that they were being flanked, the three Autobots desperately shot back in both directions while clambering back for cover.

The enemy shots began to become closer and with no clear shot of the enemy, all they could do was return back to cover. Optimus, Ultra Magnus, and Ratchet circled the ship, using the giant air craft as a shield to the shots. Slowly, the blasts began to die down and the sound of footsteps approached the corner where they were hiding.

Optimus looked back at Ultra Magnus and Ratchet and activated his blades, ducking down in a defensive stance. The lieutenant did the same with the medic raising his blades as a shield.

If the Decepticons wanted a fight, they were going to get one.

The footsteps stopped just at the corner and Optimus could sense the presence of multiple Decepticons. He waited until his team was ready, giving them one last look before leaping out.

What he saw next was something he would have never expected.

…

 **Author's Note: Cliffhangers, cliffhangers, how I love cliffhangers. I hope I've been keeping you on the edge of your seats with these teases. If you lost count, there's still Jack's final words to Arcee, Carter's mysterious past/secrets, and now this.**

 **Anyways, it seems like I'm going to be updating every** **other** **day, although I'll be feeling guilty for not going with my original schedule. Of course I'll still try to update daily if I can, after all, if I'm planning on doing a 30 chapter story, that's going to take about two months. Hopefully I'll go daily on the weekends and holidays but no promises.**

 **Other than that, be sure to review and follow the story/me if you haven't already. If you have any ideas or any personal questions, feel free to PM me. Hope you enjoyed and have a great day/night (depending on where you are.) :P**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

There aren't many things in the universe that can startle Optimus. Not just because of his position as a Prime, but also because of his stern and focused personality. Of course, things such as Unicron and death would jog his systems but other than that, it was impossible to shake him up.

This was one of those situations and if his stutter didn't raise any eyebrows, surely his multitude of looks did. Focus turned into determination which turned into surprise which turned into confusion and finally back to his original serious look, although this time he sported a small smile on his face.

In front of Optimus stood four Cybertronians, all with canons raised and positioned in a defensive stance. In the front was a large red Cybertronian who towered over the others by being at Optimus' height. His large shoulder-pad like shoulders gave him a bulky look, although his body frame was more-so Wheeljack's size.

Next to the red robot stood a white robot, the smallest of them but appearing to be the most agile. The light blue visor covering his optics distinguished him from the bunch while his smaller canons looked to pack a punch.

Behind them were the other two Cybertronians. One of them, a robot with features that resembled a jet, faced Optimus with his arm canons raised and a focused look. He was undoubtedly the jet flying above earlier, showing similarities with the white paint job, although up close he could see that he had a hint of red here and there.

The last robot looked to be the youngest, being around Bumblebee's size but still slightly older than the scout. Unlike the one who transformed into a jet, his color scheme was the exact opposite with his body being mostly red with white in specific places. On top of his shoulders were two of his four wheels, dusty and dirtied from the previous battle.

All four of these Cybertronians were highly skilled in combat and their earlier battle tactics confirmed that. Their abilities in the field are unmatched by many and if they were an enemy, Optimus would undoubtedly act differently. The thing that made him smile was the small logo plastered on their chest pieces.

"Optimus, that you?" The one wearing the visor asked, lowering his weapons. His group followed shortly, just as astound as the Prime was.

Ultra Magnus and Ratchet rounded the corner and their optics shot open when they saw the four Cybertronians before them.

"By the AllSpark…" was all the medic could say.

"I am also astounded Ratchet" Optimus stated before turning to the four robots. "Is it truly you?"

The one wearing the visor stepped forward and extended a hand, his visor sliding away revealing two sparkling blue optics.

"In the metal, it's good to see you again" he responded with a smile.

"It has been too long" the large one said happily, also shaking hands with the three Autobots.

As the large one shook Ratchet's hand, the medic's jaw dropped. Never has he ever been so confused.

"Wh-what? Ironhide? Jazz? Sideswipe? Air Raid?" he asked, still shaking Ironhide's hand.

"This how you treat all of your visitors?" The one known as Air Raid joked, shaking the medic's hand after Ironhide.

"This is incredible! I never thought we would see another Autobot after Ultra Magnus arrived."

Air Raid perked at the lieutenants' name, along with everyone else. All four of them turned to Ultra Magnus and straightened their backs, raising their right hand to their forehead.

"Good to see you sir" Ironhide said for the group even though technically he and Jazz were the same rank as Ultra Magnus.

"At ease Ironhide, no need to show authority. We are all friends here" Ultra Magnus said, giving his best smile.

"Wow, you don't know how nice it is to finally rejoin with you Optimus" Sideswipe said. "We've been traveling the universe for orbital cycles to try to reach you."

Jazz laughed. "Swipe's not wrong, it took forever to get here. Pretty sure Air Raid was going to lose it if he didn't spread his wings soon."

"Hey, when you learn to fly, then come to me and complain. Flying is like my sixth sense." The Aerialbot shot back.

Optimus nodded and smiled, knowing that these were indeed his old friends. The last time he saw them, it was when the Ark came under attack just after it launched from their dying home world. Like Ratchet, he too believed Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen would be the last Autobots to come to Earth but he wasn't complaining that the four of them had arrived.

"Regardless of the struggle of your arrival, I am glad to see you all once again" the Prime said. "Our fight with the Decepticons has been waged for far too long and perhaps with your help, we may be able to stop the conflict once and for all."

"We are here to fight by your side Optimus" Ironhide stated.

"Say Optimus, who else is here other than us? There's no way you three are the only ones here" Jazz asked.

Ratchet stepped forward to answer but Optimus placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps it would be best if we returned back to base before we continue with explanations."

"Smart move, I scouted out a squadron of Vehicons about 10 clicks from here" Air Raid pointed out. "We'll be cornered in a second if we don't move."

"Then it is agreed. Ratchet, if you may request a groundbridge from Bumblebee."

"Bee's here? Aw yeah, we're getting the old gang back together." Jazz said.

A moment later, the green vortex appeared a couple feet away and Ratchet, Ultra Magnus, Ironhide, Jazz, and Sideswipe began walking towards it.

"Hold on, what are we going to do about the ship?" Air Raid pointed out.

"Oh scrap, I forgot" Jazz said, rubbing his head. "Yo Ironhide, you think we can just blow it up?"

"I advise against that suggestion. We are unknown to the habitants of this planet and creating an explosion will surely attract unwanted attention." Optimus mentioned.

"Optimus, the ship is far too big to fit through our groundbridge. Furthermore it would never be able to stay on top of the base without being spotted" Ratchet said. "Perhaps blowing it up is the right action to take."

The Prime thought for a moment, knowing that Agent Fowler would no doubt scold him for it later. Although, Ratchet did have a point and if the Decepticons were to gain possession of the Autobot system programmed into that ship, all of their secrets could be leaked.

"Very well. Jazz, it would be wise to make haste in disposing off your ship."

"You got it Optimus. Sideswipe, let's ravage through our junk for anything we might need to bring before Ironhide starts the fireworks." Jazz said to the red bot.

"You got it Jazz" he answered as the two walked off towards their ship.

"I should go along as well. Our Cybertronian technology could use an upgrade and perhaps their ship's systems may not have been completely damaged" Ratchet quipped.

The medic quickly ran and caught up with the other two Autobots before they disappeared into the ship.

As those three went through the belongings on the ship, the four Autobots looked at each.

"You've changed so much Optimus" Ironhide said, eyeing the leader.

"And you, old friend, have not changed a bit."

"So, how long have you been on this planet?" Air Raid questioned.

"Ultra Magnus arrived mere orbital cycles ago, however the majority of us have been stationed here for about four stellar cycles." The Prime answered.

"Four stellar cycles! I know this planet is nice and all but four stellar cycles!" the Aerialbot expressed.

"All explanations will be given in time. However, understand that although Earth may be primitive, it has much potential. I have personally experienced life through a new set of eyes and realized that this small planet will be a crucial role in our battle against the Decepticons."

Optimus looked up into the sky, as if he was looking at something that wasn't actually there. Air Raid raised an eyebrow at Ironhide who merely shrugged in response.

…

Back in the Omega One command center, both the Autobots and humans waited in anticipation. They had just received the transmission from Ratchet telling them to open a groundbridge and to prepare for visitors. Every single one of them were eager to see which Autobots would show up, although Arcee stood in the corner, looking away. For some reason, the thought of new members joining Team Prime reminded her of Jack, and that always brought her mood down.

"Eeeeee, I'm so excited" Miko squealed, bouncing up and down on her toes.

"Same here Miko. Who knows which Autobots could have shown up" Bulkhead said.

"How great would it be if a wrecker decided to pop there head out?" Wheeljack asked.

"That would be totally _awesome_! With three wreckers, the 'cons should be running away if they know what's good for them." Miko answered and the two wreckers chuckled.

Raf turned to his partner who was leaning against the railing. "Who do you think it might be Bee?"

The scout shrugged, beeping his opinion and saying that he didn't mind who would show up, as long as they're an Autobot and willing to fight for the cause.

"Nicely said Bee" Raf complimented.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm hoping a chick comes through that groundbridge" Smokescreen said out of the blue and everyone turned to give him a look. "What? Of come on, I'm not the only one hoping for a girl."

He had a point and the other three Autobots looked away sheepishly while Miko and Raf laughed. Like human teenagers, Cybertronians aren't any different.

"Shh guys, they're coming through" Raf said excitedly after seeing the energon signatures in the groundbridge controls.

All of them watched quietly and attentively at the swirling green vortex, even Miko who can barely keep her mouth shut for a minute. All anticipation was put on the new Autobots and not a single word would be spoken until they appeared from the groundbridge.

The first two Autobots to appear were Ratchet and Ultra Magnus who carried in some metal and other technology. In response, Miko quickly told them to get out of the way in which the two adult Cybertronians gladly did. Next came Optimus who took one look at the faces of the Autobots and humans and stepped to the side. He was wise enough to know that Miko wouldn't hesitate to yell at him if he was in her way, regardless if he was a Prime.

The entire command center held their breath for the revealing of the Autobots except for the three who've already seen them. Bulkhead noticed Optimus with a small smile on his face and he raised an eyebrow at the Prime's unusual show of emotion. However, he got her answer when four Autobots stepped through the groundbridge.

Right off the bat, Miko pelted them with questions, none of which they could understand.

"OhmyGodyou'resobig!Wheredidyoucomefrom?Howdidyougethere?What'syourstory?Whatareyourskills?Whatkindofweaponsdoyouhave?Areanyofyouawrecker?Whatdoyoutransforminto?Cananyofyoufly?Ibetyoucanflyright?Wheredidyougetthatvisor?WereyoupartofthefightonCybertron?HowlonghaveyouknownOptimus?Doyouknowanyoneelsehere?"

"Wow? What the scrap is that?" Air Raid asked, jumping back and transforming into a jet. He aimed all of his weapon systems at the small little girl who for some reason seemed awestruck at his transformation.

"Air Raid stand down. These are our human allies, inhabitants of this planet who have joined us." Optimus stated. Immediately the Aerialbot transformed back and scratched his head, shooting Miko and apologetic look.

Suddenly a string of happy beeps were heard and the group looked to see Bumblebee race over to Jazz, beeping at such a fast pace that even Raf couldn't understand him.

"Woah calm down there Bee" Jazz laughed, bumping fist with the scout. "It's good to see you too."

"You've grown Bumblebee. I still remember when you were only a little sparkling" Ironhide added, letting out a good-hearted laugh.

"Primus there's no way…" Wheeljack said, walking towards the large red Autobot.

"Ironhide? You bucket of bolts, what are you doing here?" Bulkhead asked, slapping the former wrecker on the back.

Ironhide grinned and returned the favor, slapping both wreckers hard on their backs. He was surprised when Bulkhead fell flat on his face and he quickly helped the green wrecker up.

"What's up with you Bulkhead? Lost your bearings?" he teased.

Before Bulkhead could answer, Miko jumped in, thinking that the red Autobot was purposely making fun of Bulkhead. "Hey! Bulk took on a horde of Insecticons and was holding Tox-En while he was doing it. I'd watch your mouth otherwise you'll answer to me!"

"Woah, woah, woah, Miko he's just joking around" Bulkhead assured his human charge.

"Small, fierce, and willing to stand up to someone larger than her" Ironhide said, listing off things that he's already noticed. "I like her."

Wheeljack chuckled. "Miko, meet Ironhide and Jazz."

"So you're Ironhide huh?" Miko said, looking the giant red Autobot. "You look nothing like you do in the movies."

"Movies?" the former wrecker repeated, raising an eyebrow to the to other wreckers who merely laughed.

"And what about you little dude?" Jazz asked, leaning down to get a better look at Raf. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rafael but you can call me Raf."

"Raf… that's a pretty cool name. I dig it." The laid back lieutenant said, giving him props.

Everyone in the command center mingled around, introducing themselves to the newer faces. Already it seemed like Ironhide fit in just fine with the other wreckers while Jazz, Air Raid, and Sideswipe talked to Smokescreen, listening to the rookie's story.

"Still sad that no girl's showed up?" Wheeljack joked, nudging him with his elbow.

"No way, to know Optimus is crazy enough but being on a team with vets like Jazz, Ironhide and Air Raid is a dream come true!"

"You're giving us too much credit man" Jazz said innocently, rubbing his head.

"Are you serious? You guys are war heroes! I remember hearing stories about your fight with Trypticon, or that time you guys banded together to save the Ark from the Decepticons."

"Ok I'll admit" Jazz said, looking at the Air Raid and Sideswipe. "That was pretty cool."

The group laughed while the more stern Autobots watched from the side.

"This is a very nice team you have here Optimus" Ironhide complimented, nodding at every individual member of Team Prime.

"I have done nothing. Each and every one of them have shown their courage and bravery in the field, but also maintained their civil nature and understanding of family. A team is only as great as its weakest member and I am proud to say that we are all equals."

"Well said, Optimus, well said." The former wrecker said, trailing off in thought. "Is this everyone or are there still more?"

"I believe this is…" Optimus scanned the command center and realized that there was one Autobot missing. One small, blue two-wheeler who has been emotionally traumatized for the past weeks. "Hmm, that is strange. Bumblebee, do you recall seeing Arcee anywhere?"

The scout looked just as surprised as the Prime and shook his head. He had seen her earlier before the others had arrived but it seemed like she had suddenly disappeared.

Instantaneously, small metal footsteps were heard from the hallway and everyone turned to see Arcee slowly trot in. She stopped after a couple meters into the command center, raising her head and realizing that there were some new faces. However, there was one Autobot in particular that she was surprised to see.

"Swipey?" she asked bewildered.

Sideswipe laughed. "Still remember that from our youngling years? How's it going hot wheels?"

Now it was his turn to be surprised and that went double for everyone in the room. Arcee ran forward and practically tackled him, pulling him into a tight hug. Sideswipe had a confused look on his face and didn't quite know what to do in this situation.

"Swipey?" Miko whispered into Raf's ears.

"Hot wheels?" Raf asked back, both of them still trying to piece together the fact that they had nicknames for each other.

After a moment, Arcee released the hug, giving Sideswipe some room to collect his bearings.

"So I'm guessing you two know each other from somewhere?" Wheeljack asked, pointing out the obvious.

"I guess you could say that" Sideswipe answered. "Cee and I grew up together since we were born from the Well of All Sparks at the same time. Only up until the war started were we separated because we joined different units."

"What are you doing here?" Arcee questioned, looking around and spotting the other three Autobots as well. "Air Raid? Ironhide? Jazz?"

"Hey Cee."

"Nice to see you once again Arcee."

"How's it cooking two-wheeler?"

The three of them answered respectively.

Arcee was awestruck, not expecting to see the four of them here. She had thought that some lost Autobot had made their way to Earth, not four long-time friends and mentors.

She was just about to respond when proximity alarms went off in the base. Ironhide, Jazz, Air Raid, and Sideswipe instantaneously activated their blasters, aiming everywhere from left to right, high to low.

"Relax guys, it's only the proximity alarms" Miko said. The four newcomers de-activated their weapons and blinked at the girl, realizing their overreaction.

"Who is it Ratchet?" Ultra Magnus asked the medic who was already checking out the console.

"It appears to be…"

"PRIME!"

The sudden loud voice made Raf jump since his back was turned to the elevator and he sheepishly looked down at the ground to try to hide his blush from the others. Coming up from behind him was Agent Fowler, stopping at the railings and placing to hands against it. He looked exceptionally angry today and they could probably guess why.

"Why am I getting reports on explosions going off in a forest only a few miles out from a populated town? Do you realize how many strings the military had to pull to avoid getting it put on national news? You 'bots know our standards and that does not include blowing something up and leaving dozens of dead Vehicon bodies around!"

"Agent Fowler, I understand your frustration but we were left with no choice. If we did not take action, the Decepticons may have been able to gain access to our Autobot databases as well as anything of use aboard the ship." Optimus explained.

The agent didn't quite know what he was talking about but he got his answer when he saw the four new Autobots looking at him with raised eyebrows. He quickly straightened his back, cleared his throat and fixed his tie before he addressed the recently arrived Cybertronians.

"Hello, I apologize for my rude entrance. Welcome to Earth" he greeted, earning a snicker from Miko.

"Agent Fowler, this is Ironhide, Jazz, Air Raid, and Sideswipe. All of them are some of my most trusted friends, having fought with me throughout the war and up until the fall of Cybertron." Optimus introduced. "Autobots, meet Agent Fowler, our liaison to the human government as well as any additional military resources."

"Little man you got some big bearings to talk to Optimus like that" Jazz said to the government agent.

"I'm only doing my job. The government wants full reports on the little incident in the forest and I guess I'll be adding four new Autobots to that list." Agent Fowler sighed.

"Reports?" Air Raid asked.

"The native life forms have a strict government procedure that includes giving field reports after every motion we take." Ultra Magnus explained.

"We also have strict rules and those are related to you as well, although I'm pretty sure Prime will fill you in on that later. All I'm asking is that you cool it on the explosives for now. Unless you're far from civilization, keep the battles more or less unknown to the population." Agent Fowler added.

"I assure you that they will be briefed with our regulations before taking part in any missions" Optimus settled.

The government agent nodded and smiled, heading back to the elevator. However before he got in he realized that it would be tough to write reports on the four Autobots if he knew nothing about them.

"Prime, I forgot that I'll need some background info on those four visitors. You mind shedding some light on that?"

"I am able to provide you with basic information on Ironhide, Jazz, Air Raid, and Sideswipe, however we have not yet discussed their pasts. Perhaps it would be wise if you stayed to listen and I will be happy to aid you with the reports afterwards."

Agent Fowler scratched his chin, feeling his growing beard under his hand.

 _Man I need to shave_ he thought randomly.

"Sounds like a plan. When do we start?"

…

The Autobots and humans gathered around Ironhide, Jazz, Air Raid and Sideswipe, interested in hearing their comrades story and what they've been doing for the past four years.

"Ironhide, you want to take this one? Pretty sure you got the best memory drive out of all of us" Air Raid said, eager to pass over the story telling to him.

"Right, make the old man talk" Ironhide said but agreed.

"Now where to start… ah yes" the former wrecker started and the others leaned in.

"After the Ark was launched off Cybertron, we came under attack from Megatron's new warship. The portal that we were going to use was slowly starting to close and our forces were desperately trying to push back the Decepticons trying to board the Ark. If you don't remember Optimus, this is when you made the decision to leave, hoping to draw the attention of the Decepticons away from the Ark."

"Yes, I recall of that instance where I was forced to make a difficult decision. In the end, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and I escaped through the portal with the Nemesis" Optimus said.

Ironhide nodded and continued. "After you left, we were still under attack from the majority of the Decepticon army. Just as we thought the battle had been lost, the portal collapsed, sending us to a different part of the universe. When we regained consciousness, all the Decepticons had disappeared along with some of our forces, most notably Cliffjumper and you Ultra Magnus."

"That is correct. After the portal collapsed, I was separated from the Ark, instead finding myself back on Cybertron. I met with some allies for a short period of time before I received Optimus' distress call and headed towards Earth." Ultra Magnus explained.

"Anyone know what happened with Cliff? We never saw him again." Jazz asked, still wondering where his old partner was.

Arcee, having to struggle in the past when it came to Cliff's passing knew that Jazz was oblivious to what happened and forced herself to explain everything, from running into Cliffjumper while raiding Soundwave's Spacebridge to his death. She ended by mentioning the small memorial she built for him on top of the base and how every so often, she returns there to give her remorse.

"Cliff's… gone?" Jazz asked sadly, not really looking for a response.

Sideswipe noticed Arcee's distressed look and tried to comfort her as best he could. He knew about Tailgate's death and how the loss of her first partner affected her. Obviously loss of her other partner was just as painful, If not more. However, when he opened his mouth to say something, no words came out. There were just things that should be left unsaid.

"Ironhide, if you may continue…" Optimus said, not wanting to dwell on the situation further. The former wrecker nodded, understanding the Prime's motives and continued.

"I'm still unsure of how long we were out in deep space for. After fixing any damages to the Ark we received, we moved to follow the task you provided us with Optimus; finding a habitable planet to live on until Cybertron would be revived once more."

"Accept we didn't do that. At least not right away" Air Raid pointed out.

"That is correct." Ironhide said. "At around this time, Elita-1 revealed to us a separate mission you kept from all but some. She told us of how before the Ark was launched, you had personally jettisoned the AllSpark off planet in order to ensure that it would never fall in Megatron's hands. Elita, who had rightfully become the captain of the Ark, knew of the location of the AllSpark and made the decision to go after it, knowing that you would do the same. Our course was set and the Ark headed towards the AllSpark."

Secretly Optimus was angry that Elita-1 would go on such a dangerous journey. He had told her that when the Ark was clear, he would travel to the AllSpark alone and now he regret informing her.

"Ironhide, were you able to retrieve the AllSpark?" The Prime asked sternly.

"Actually, we weren't able to reach our destination" Sideswipe answered. "Mid-way through our trip, Perceptor said the ship's energon levels weren't high enough to make the trip and that it would be against the safety of the entire crew to continue."

"Has anyone else learned of the location of the AllSpark?" Optimus asked, just for precautions.

"No, not even I was given the region of it. Elita was keen on making sure on one but herself and Perceptor knew where it was." Ironhide responded. "After the mission was given up, we were forced to head towards an energon station sent off into space millenniums ago."

"And of course with our luck, we ran into the Decepticons who had the same idea" Air Raid continued for Ironhide. "They had managed to get a hold of another warship and it turns out that over half their army was still with them. Other than Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, everyone else was there and it seemed like Onslaught had taken over control."

"The 'cons hit us hard and multiple times too. Soon our energon levels were running low again because of the number of wounded after every battle. We could have held them off but Elita insisted on getting more energon before we charged into battle. The problem was that our maps didn't show any nearby energon stations and we were starting to get desperate."

"Lucky for us, Perceptor managed to get a hold of an ancient Cybertronian database and found a planet colonized by Cybertronians back in the Golden Age. The name of the planet was called Velocitron and was inhabited by speed-loving Velocitronians who were obsessed with racing. Everything they did, form the annual speed games to the work in factories was for racing. Even their government was based off of the winners of their races and personally, I found their obsession to be stupid and un-evolved."

"he's just saying that because he lost every race" Jazz joked, joining in on the conversation. "Velocitron was awesome and we met some real nice bots there. You guys remember Blurr right? Man could that guy drive."

Sideswipe laughed as well, being one of the Autobots able to participate in the races that were held. Air Raid on the other hand agreed with Ironhide, partially because no Velocitronian was able to fly meaning him and the rest of the Aerialbots could only watch.

"In any case, we were welcomed openly by the Velocitronians and were treated as guests to their small planet, even meeting their ruler at the time. Override was his name, a very nice and kind Velocitronian, however there was a catch. He co-ruled the planet along with another named Ransack, having tied him during their race. Unlike Override, Ransack was unreasonable and cruel, putting himself before others and doing anything to impress the public eye."

"For a period of time, we Autobots lived peacefully among the Velocitronians. Elita-1 and Jetfire were positioned as ambassadors while others like Perceptor introduced many new technologies to them. All was well, until the Decepticons arrived."

"Still under the command of Onslaught and the other Combaticons, the Decepticons began ravaging through towns, spreading rumors and lies about bringing the planet into a new age; a Golden Age. The political battle began and while some were smart enough to see past Onslaught's lies, others believed that the Decepticons were some sort of saviors. The population was split and the two sides began to rally against each other."

"At some point in time, Ransack and Override began to have different opinions, one believing the Decepticons were the right way to go while the other kept his faith in the Autobots. Eventually their fighting led to the betrayal of Ransack who revealed to Onslaught about Elita's knowledge on the AllSpark. Somehow the Decepticons tricked the Velocitronians into thinking that we Autobots poisoned their systems and it is because of us that they were unable to proceed towards their 'Golden Age'. War broke out soon after and Velocitronians who were never combat trained were forced to go into battle. It was a massacre and while we refused to fight back at first, we were forced to retailiate after the Combaticons combined into Bruticus. Eventually we learned that Onslaught's true motives were to capture Elita and gain the information needed for him to retrieve the AllSpark. We Autobots made it our mission to defend Elita and with the help of Override and Blurr, we created our own army."

The four Autobots looked down at the ground, not really wanting to go back to those memories.

"What happened after?" Miko questioned.

"There isn't much of an after Miko" Ironhide answered. "The war raged on and like the war on Cybertron, it was both devastating and painful. I saw young Velocitronians die, some who had bright futures. I saw Autobots who had survived our war, fall in this one. Both sides had casualties and exchanged victories per battle. However, later on in the war, the Decepticons began overwhelming us. We Autobots realized that for every battle we lose, the chance of the Decepticons winning the war increases. The war was coming into one of its most crucial stages, and it wasn't looking good for us."

"One day while, while Perceptor was upgrading our communications systems, we received a transmission which had been sent from an Autobot line. It was yours Optimus and while we were happy that you were still alive, we couldn't join you because of the war on Velocitron. Some of us wondered if you were still operating since we received the transmission stellar cycles after you sent it, but Elita-1 insisted on sending a few Autobots to assist you. Eventually, Ironhide, Sideswipe, Jazz, and I were chosen, although we were reluctant to go. Don't get me wrong Optimus, we all would have loved to join you and fight by your side once again, but we were already beginning to become outnumbered by the Decepticons and us leaving would be the worst thing we could do. Not only that but Elita-1 needed to be protected and we weren't going to give the Decepticons a chance to take her."

"However, in the end, we agreed to leave after Elita insisted that she was well protected. She told us that if we truly wanted to help her, not just as our commander but as our friend, we would leave and assist you Optimus."

The Prime seemed to be considering his sparkmate's decision. Usually he would never judge a commander's course of action, but the fact that Elita-1 had chosen his well-being over hers wished that he could see her once again.

"Thank you Air Raid, all of you. Not only for leaving your ongoing war to aid us but also for protecting Elita during your time of war " Optimus said, nodding at the four Autobots who stood before him. "Regardless of what you've been through and the struggles you've encountered, we welcome you to Team Prime."

The four Autobots stood up straight and saluted proudly.

"Thank you Optimus" they chorused and the other members of Team Prime saluted back, including Miko, Raf, and Agent Fowler.

"Welcome to the family."

…

 **Author's Note: Hello again! Wow, I've been gone for what like three days? Man, I really have to pick up my slack.**

 **I had a lot of troubles with this chapter including a weird kind of writer's block. It's not that I didn't have ideas to go along with but that I had so many swirling around my head that when I started to write, I started jumping around from idea to idea. I actually had this chapter done a couple days ago but after I read it over, I realized that it didn't flow well and some things just didn't make sense. I've redone this chapter twice and I'm pretty much done with this. You can probably still catch some parts or two where I rushed into another section and didn't provide enough details. I had to explain a lot of things in this chapter and I may/may not have pulled it off. Regardless, the explanations will be continuing into the next one since I didn't manage to get them all down. :(**

 **Final words, it seems like my dream of updating every** **other** **day is coming to an end. Life is just so busy lately and when I rush to finish in time, I spewl out crap like this. I'm going to take my time, develop my ideas, and publish when I have some actual good content. That shouldn't take more than two-three days so expect an update within that time.**

 **A little thank you to all who have stuck around, even with my disoriented schedule. I love reviews so be sure to leave one right here. VVV Other than that, I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The fire crackled as the smoke floated up into the dark night sky, dispersing once making contact with the cold Canadian chill. The two humans crowded around the burning pit, enjoying the heat that hit against their faces and skin. Not a word was shared and they mostly kept to themselves.

It's been around a month now but Jack doesn't know for sure. He lost track once he hit twenty and gave up on counting. Of course he could always just check the scanner that he stole but truth be told, he doesn't want to know. He knows that when he counts, he's holding onto his past, and that's something he wants to let go.

Speaking of the scanner, only the other day he had noticed the four new Autobot signals pop up. He had read their profiles in a data entry, probably created by Ratchet, and learned about who they are; Jazz, Ironhide, Air Raid, and Sideswipe, four veteran Autobots who had fought alongside Optimus during the war on Cybertron. After the fall of their planet, they had spent the next four years fighting another war on a planet known as Velocitron. One day, they had received from Optimus who had sent it out when he first arrived on Earth. The four Autobots had been ordered to assist Team Prime and so, here they are.

Part of him was glad that Team Prime was growing and now with the extra fire power, they had a better shot at winning the war against the Decepticons. However another part of him was depressed, or even jealous that they had been welcomes to the team so easily. He felt as though he had been replaced, although he knew that that was stupid to think since the bots would never forget about him, especially one bot in particular.

He didn't need to be there to know that Arcee was probably still emotionally damaged from being separated from him and he knew this because he felt the same way. As much as he tried or as much as he wanted to, he couldn't forget about her. Arcee was just far too special to him and even though he wants to let her go, he can't. He only hoped that the arrival of the four Autobots would help Arcee move on.

Jack sighed and stared at the small picture in his hands, the light from the fire just enough for him to look at Arcee's beautiful smile. Every time he looked at the photo, he would spot something that he never noticed before. Whether it would be the two-wheeler's look in her eyes to the small dimples on his face, the picture never got old. If it weren't for Carter being around, he could be looking at it for the entire day. Instead he only takes it out in the night when he knows the man can't see what he's looking at.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Carter eyeing him from afar and although Jack didn't like it, the man had all the reason to. He's been keeping almost everything to himself; his past, the photo, even the things in his bag. When he had gotten the notification from the scanner, he had to sneak it out of his bag and take it into the forest to make sure Carter didn't see it. It would be close to impossible to explain why he has extremely developed technology, not to mention the modified sniper rifle and katana hidden away in his bag.

"Jack, you mind if I ask a question?" Carter asked out of the blue.

Jack looked up from the photo. "Sure."

"I see you staring at that photo every night and I'm pretty sure if I wasn't here, you could be staring at it for hours. I'm not trying to invade your privacy but what is the photo of?"

Jack' sadly looked down at the picture, seeing him and Arcee beaming back at him.

"Just a memory of the past" he sighed, waving the photo around but making sure he didn't reveal it's content to Carter. "My girlfriend... or more like ex-girlfriend... I don't know, we didn't have a proper goodbye..."

Carter looked at him, nodding his head as he took in the information.

"You miss her?"

Jack nodded, showing all his emotions. As he did that, Carter studied his face as if he were inspecting something.

"You love her, but you haven't told her that" he concluded.

"How did you know?" Jack asked, confused at how the man knew that.

"I've been through it all and I can see it on your face." Carter explained. "I don't know who your girlfriend is, and I probably will never know, but I do know that if you love her as much as you're showing it, she is someone special."

"She is someone special. I love her so much but now, I don't know if she'll ever love me again. I left without any warning, left her, and as guilty as I feel, I can't go back."

"Jack, trust me when I say, she will always love you. How I know that is because you love her just as much and that bond will never break. One day you'll go back, and on that day, you'll go back to her, just as she will come back to you."

Jack nodded his head, ending the conversation as he looked back down at the picture in his hands. He wished Carter was right but he doesn't know the full story. Normally the man's words always helped him out, but today, they only made him feel worse.

 _Arcee..._

...

It was morning and for some, the image of giant robots standing in their military compound was something that didn't normally happen. Fortunately, today was that day and people walked by, staring and pointing in awe at the twenty feet tall robotic aliens.

"Optimus, tell me again why we're here" Jazz said, looking at the soldiers walking by. He spotted a man take out his phone to snap a picture of him and quickly shot a pose, earning a laugh from the man.

"We are here to retrieve your new vehicle forms" Optimus answered, having been used to visiting military compounds.

"Why do we need new vehicle forms? I like my Cybertronian jet and I doubt anything on this planet can match it" Air Raid quipped, transforming into the jet to prove his point.

"Air Raid, I understand your attachment to your former vehicle form, however here on Earth we are robots in disguise. We must remain hidden while in plain sight to attract less unwanted attention. You Cybertronian jet form may have been normal on Cybertron, however on Earth, it would be an abnormality."

The Aerialbot sighed and crossed his arms. "Alright, but this new form better be good."

He looked over at Jazz and Sideswipe who nodded in agreement. Although they may be disciplined, having to get your vehicle mode changed is like a human getting their limbs changed. It's a part of them that's been around for centuries and now they were being told to swap it with an alien vehicle. The three of them may follow orders and agree to do it, but in truth, they weren't looking forward to parting ways with their forms.

The only one out of the four Autobots getting new V-modes who wasn't really affected by it was Ironhide. Unlike his comrades, his vehicle appearance doesn't bother him so he's pretty much ok with everything. The old Autobot was used to changing forms, having done so multiple times on Cybertron depending on the mission's requirements and was actually anxious to see what Earth brings to the table.

Suddenly a loud honk got their attention and the five Autobots turned around to see a three vehicles pull up from the gate. The first was a large, bright red GMC TopKick C4500, probably the one responsible for the honking. Behind it were two very, very nice cars, looking like it was taking some effort for them to drive alongside the truck's slow speed. Flanking the truck's left was a slick new Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV, also bright red with it's doors glimmering in the light. To the right was a Porche 918 Spyder with a shimmering silver paint job. It's slim and fast look caught Jazz's optics immediately and he stared at it in awe, along with everyone else, minus Optimus.

A moment later, the three vehicles pulled up, coming to a stop in a position where they're front and sides are facing the giant robots. The humans driving the cars carefully got out, making sure to not scratch up the sides as they too admired the nice cars.

"Primus, these are sick" Sideswipe exclaimed, checking out the Lambo.

"You said it Swipe, I'm digging this new ride" Jazz added, whistling when he got close to the Porsche.

"I must say Optimus, if this is to be my new vehicle form, I may start using it more often" Ironhide said, admiring the giant build of the truck. The huge wheels and the powerful engine fit the former wrecker perfectly and he was ecstatic to try the vehicle out.

"I am pleased to know that the vehicles satisfy you" Optimus announced. "and I am positive that Agent Fowler will also be pleased."

"Speaking of the agent, where's my vehicle?" Air Raid asked, a little impatient.

As if he was waiting for the Aerialbot to complain, Agent Fowler appeared, speeding in from the skies and landing elegantly across the landing zone. A moment later, the latch came up and the agent popped his head out, showing off his shades and big smile on his face.

"Anyone ask for a jet?" he joked, greeting the Autobots with a wave.

"Good morning Agent Fowler, how are you?" Optimus addressed.

"I'm not going to lie Prime, my day's been pretty cool. Got to drive a Porsche, Lambo, and heavy duty truck, not to mention this beauty behind me. Still not sure why you 'bots decided to chose these vehicles. They don't exactly 'blend in' with the average crowd but whatever" Agent Fowler said, motioning to the two expensive convertibles.

"Don't blame us, Miko chose it" Sideswipe shrugged as Air Raid inspected the jet.

"Hmm..." he trailed off, checking out the wings and engine.

"I present the F-16 Falcon Fighter, one of the militaries top of the line aircrafts. Able to reach speeds of mach 2 with ease and modified to fit your Autobot purposes. We've got heavy duty machine guns, heat seeking and energon seeking missiles, lasers, and many more surprises." Agent Fowler said with a smirk. Air Raid gave him a look and the man asked, knowing exactly what the Aerialbot was going to say. "Go for it."

A blue light shot out of Air Raid's optics, scanning over the jet's frame, starting with the head and trailing all the way to the end of the tail. Once the scan was complete, parts and gears shifted around his body to accommodate for the new mode. Air Raid jumped into the air, doing a back flip in the process and transforming into his new vehicle form. When he landed, he was no longer a giant robot, but a sleek white jet with a red design.

"Oh yeah!" he yelled before taking off. Air Raid soared high into the air, cranking out into his max speed and doing multiple loops and turns. Military soldiers watched in awe as the Aerialbot did tricks that they could only wish their planes did. A few minutes later, Air Raid came back down to Earth, transforming into his bi-pedal form in front of the other Autobots.

"I take back everything I said before. Earth has some real nice jets" Air Raid said happily, earning a thumbs up from Agent Fowler.

"Who says Air Raid can have all the fun?" Jazz asked before he started to scan the Porsche. Sideswipe and Ironhide followed, scanning the Lambo and the TopKick respectively.

Like Air Raid, once their scans finished, their parts began to move around, alternating their bi-pedal forms to become capable of transforming into the new frame. All at once, the three Autobots transformed, appearing as a shiny red Lamborghini, a heavy duty red TopKick, and a glimmering silver Porsche.

"Aw yeah, now this is what I'm talking about" Jazz said, making his engine roar.

"You changed you're color scheme too?" Sideswipe asked, his headlights pointing towards Jazz.

"Yeah, thought silver matched more of my style. Besides, we have enough white and red bots on this team already."

The four Autobots began talking about their new forms, complimenting each other while admiring themselves in the other's reflection. As they did that, Optimus stood to the side watching with Agent Fowler.

"You know Prime, we can get you a new vehicle mode too if you want" the agent offered. "Aren't you tired of that truck you have, not to mention Ultra Magnus has a resembling knock off."

"Thank you Agent Fowler but that is not necessary. My alt mode is fine and I prefer to stick with it as long as I can." Optimus declined politely.

Agent Fowler nodded. "No problem Prime, let me know if you change your mind. I better get going, some of these vehicles need to be returned ASAP."

Optimus nodded and the agent headed back towards his jet. Following him were the three men who drove the other vehicles in and the four of them left the military compound in a hurry.

"Autobots, are we done here?" Optimus asked, seeing the others driving around the compound.

Jazz was the first to report back, transforming into his original mode without skipping a beat. The other three followed behind as they came up in front of the Autobot leader.

"Fire 'em up" Jazz said.

The Prime nodded, pressing a finger to his com-link. A moment later, the green vortex appeared and the five Autobots left through the portal.

...

"Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see!"

Miko and Raf stood on top of the human platform, having just arrived from school. All day long, the Autobot's new vehicle modes were the only thing Miko was thinking about and she was ecstatic to see them.

One by one, Ironhide, Jazz, Air Raid, and Sideswipe transformed, showing off their vehicles and aircraft.

"What do ya think?" Jazz asked.

"One word... AWESOME!" Miko exclaimed and the four Autobots transformed back, laughing along with everyone else.

"I like the new paint job Jazz" Raf said, noticing the Autobot's change in color.

"Thanks Raf" he said before turning towards Sideswipe. "See, someone appreciates my new color scheme."

Sideswipe raised his hands. "I never said I didn't like it. I'm just saying that it's weird you decided to change it."

Jazz shrugged in response and continued talking with the others about their new characteristics. As they talked, Air Raid noticed Smokescreen towards the side, being unusually quiet. He's seen Arcee act like that before but never has he seen the rookie keep his mouth shut for so long.

"How do the humans say it... a penny for your thoughts?" the Aerialbot asked Smokescreen.

"Huh?" the rookie asked, looking up. "Oh hey Air Raid, what's up?"

The Aerialbot laughed. "Nothing much, just noticed you've been quiet for a while. Got something on your mind?"

"Uh... yeah kind of, but I don't know if I should bring it up."

"What? Don't tell me you blew up all the energon again" Wheeljack said, jumping into the conversation.

The rookie shook his head and gave a weak smile. "No it's not that..."

"Hey Smokey don't worry about it, we're here to listen." Air Raid said, now intrigued with the rookie's thoughts.

Smokescreen paused for a moment, probably considering whether to mention it or not. Eventually he made up his mind and thought what the worst that cold happen.

"Alright, I've just been thinking lately. You said that you guys were losing the war on Velocitron pretty badly but that's just what's bothering me. I mean no offense but you had the entire Autobot army on your side, not to mention half the Velocitronians. I get that the 'cons had Bruticus to back them up but even then, Superion could go toe-to-toe with that beast and scrap him any day. I just don't get it."

Everyone in the room, who had been listening, stopped in their tracks to stare at the rookie. Even Optimus was giving Smokescreen a look and instantly he regretted ever bringing it up.

"Smokescreen why would you ever bring that up?" Ratchet asked. "That is inconsiderate and rude."

"Woah relax Ratchet, it's all good" Jazz said, calming down the medic. "It's a valid question and he asked it as sincerely as possible. We should have probably mentioned this before but I think it's good that someone brought it up."

Ratchet backed off and allowed the four Autobots to take over. Secretly he was also wondering the same thing but he would have never bluntly asked it like Smokescreen did.

"Smokey, to answer your question..." Ironhide started, thinking about what he was about to say. "At the time, we were recovering from the war on Cybertron as well as the battles against the Decepticons in space. When we arrived on Velocitron and war broke out, we weren't able to retaliate with full force. We had people to protect and political aspects we needed to keep. If we rushed out there full tilt, the planet would have been layered in a month. Because of this tactic, we were forced to choose our battles wisely and to our dismay, it ended in a lot of lost allies."

"What do you mean?" Smokescreen asked.

Air Raid stepped forward with a sad look on his face. "He means that many of us fell in battle. You mentioned how Superion could take on Bruticus whenever he showed up. The problem was... we didn't have Superion... not anymore."

"Impossible" Ratchet gasped. "Superion is one of the most powerful Cybertronians to ever walk. How could Bruticus manage to destroy him. Furthermore you are still here which means that Superion had to still be functionable."

The Aerialbot shook his head. "No you don't understand. Superion was never destroyed in battle... You see, for me and my fellow Aerialbots to combine into Superion, we all need to be there..."

Silence followed Air Raid's short statement as the other Autobots started to piece together what he was saying. One by one, their optics widened as they realized what he was hinting at.

"Who?" was all Ratchet asked.

Air Raid looked to the ground, trying to push the horrific memories away. "...Silverbolt... him, Jetfire and I were on a mission to scout out enemy territory. We were lead into a trap and fro me and Jetfire to get out, Silverbolt took on our enemies. I... couldn't do anything but see him dual against Blackout..."

Optimus, who had been listening from the corner, shut his eyes in defeat along with everyone else. Silverbolt was one of his trusted lieutenants and close friend, having known him before the war. His death came to a shock to the Prime and he was sure that if he did not possess the Matrix of Leadership, he would wanting revenge right now. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the others as some of them allowed their rage to get the best of them.

"Scrap! I should have scraped Blackout when I had the chance" Bulkhead yelled , smashing equipment to the side. He suddenly realized what he did and waited for Ratchet's signature line, only to get nothing from the medic. When he looked over, he saw Ratchet gripping a piece of equipment, destroying it as he squeezed it tightly.

"Uh... Ratchet..." Bulkhead said and the medic came back to his senses, looking down at the destroyed equipment in his hands. He sighed and threw it away, turning back towards the Aerialbot.

"Who else..."

Air Raid thought for a moment before he started listing of the fallen Autobots. "After Silverbolt, there was Skydive, then Scattershot, Kup, Moonracer, and Airazor. Also right before we left, Perceptor was critically injured and we're not sure on how he is..."

Again, silence followed past as everyone remembered their fallen Autobots who had died bravely in the field. For some, they mainly knew them by face, but for others, they were known as teammates, mentors, and even a sister. Although Miko and Raf didn't know who they were, they felt the same pain the others did and everyone took a moment to commemorate the dead.

Suddenly, Optimus broke the silence with an order that surprised everyone.

"Autobots... head to the lift."

...

"War... it is something we try to avoid, yet we still manage to find it somehow. War can change people, I have seen it myself, and the important thing is to remain as yourself and not allow the conflict to alter your thoughts. We Autobots are sworn to protect, serve, and fight for the innocent, and while we may be strong, war does not come without casualties. For our fallen brothers, on Cybertron, Velocitron, and Earth, we commemorate their bravery, courage, and strength to stand up for the weak. Their sparks shall forever become one with the AllSpark and their legacies will always live on."

Optimus looked out at the wide desert, seeing the sun slowly set in the distance. He then turned to look at each and every member of Team Prime, Autobot or human, crowding around Cliffjumper's monument.

"Cliffjumper."

"Sea Spray."

"Silverbolt."

"Skydive."

"Scattershot."

"Kup."

"Moonracer."

"Airazor."

Optimus nodded as he mentioned one more name.

"We will also take this time to commemorate a member of Team Prime, one that has lost his way and has suffered far too much. Jackson Darby has aided us in many ways both in the field and off. However, in return, he has lost himself and has become someone even he no longer recognizes. His dedication to the Autobot cause can never be replaced and I wish him the best."

"Till all are one."

"Till all are one" everyone repeated as they looked at the ground.

They all remained quiet, taking the time remember all who have fallen. There was only one Autobot who was thinking about something different. This Autobot stood out to the side, looking out at the sunset which reminded her of one specific person.

Arcee felt a single tear slide down her cheek, small enough so that no one else would see it. She wished she could see Jack one more time, feel him and hold him one more time. She's been desperately trying to look for him but has yet to find a single trail leading her to him.

"Jack... where are you?"

...

 **Author's Note: Kind of ended it strangely there but I realized that I've been going off track from the main conflict which is Arcee and Jack so I added the ending in.**

 **Couple things I want to address. First is that I thank everyone that commented last chapter. All of your advice has been taken seriously and I'm beginning to use them to change how I write. You're support is outstanding and I hope you stay for the rest of this story.**

 **The next thing is something a bit strange. I just want to make this clear, I am a guy. Always have been, always will be. Therefore to the Guest who greeted me with "hey baby girl"... uh, I appreciate it but I think you got the genders mixed up.**

 **Finally, just for those who are having trouble visualizing the 'new' characters I added in, they are all taken straight from the War of Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron games. If you want, you can search up Air Raid, Sideswipe, Jazz, or Ironhide's name in Google and add the word 'WFC' (War for Cybertron). Also for their vehicle forms, you can do the same since they are real life vehicles. Oh course, imagine them with slight alterations but other than that, the images from Google are a good representation.**

 **Thanks for reading and be sure to review. I'll be updating ASAP with a new chapter soon.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Inhale, up, exhale, down.

Inhale, up, exhale, down.

Inhale, up, exhale, down.

The same pattern, the same motion, repeated over and over again. He couldn't remember the last time he did pull-ups but for some reason, when he woke up this morning, he had an urge to do them. Now, hanging from a large stick he had securely placed between two tree branches, Jack gathered up the last of his strength and prepared to go for another set.

 _Is there a reason for why you're out here?_ Agent 000 asked.

Jack didn't answer, instead continuing with his exercise. By this point, his entire face and body was covered in a layer of sweat. He dropped down and hunched over placing his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.

 _Are you just going to ignore me or are you going to answer?_ The agent asked with a little more tone in his voice.

 _Neither._

Jack knew that his response was quite rude, and frankly un-called for, but honestly he didn't care. This wasn't him, this wasn't how he acted before, but then again, who was he anyways? It's the reason he came all the way out here, yet he still hasn't found an answer to his question. Maybe it was the growing darkness inside of him, or maybe his new personality is just to be rude and selfish. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to apologize.

After a moment of deep breathing, he stood up and grabbed his shirt he had hung on a nearby branch. Jack swung the shirt over his shoulder and made his way back to camp, not sharing another word with the agent.

...

By the time he got back, Carter had already awoken and was washing a shirt in the stream. Jack had forgotten how early he had woken up and wondered if Carter had noticed his disappearance.

"Where'd you go off to?" the man asked curiously without turning his back.

"Somewhere" Jack said, not answering his question. Although he said it in such a tone that resembled annoyance so Carter didn't press any further.

The man's noticed a change in Jack's behaviour and personality lately. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but it seemed like he's gotten... darker. When he first met him, Jack was a kind, generous young man who was willing to listen and learn. Nowadays, he's become more ruthless, less social, and downright impolite. The only time he ever sees him stay passive are the few moments before he falls asleep, when he takes out the picture of his girlfriend and just stares at it. Truth be told, Carter didn't quite understand why Jack did that and never asked on account of invading his privacy, although in recent times, he's chosen to avoid deep conversations for obvious reasons.

Carter finished up with cleaning the shirt and hung it up to dry on a branch.

"If you haven't had breakfast yet, I've set out a meal near the firepit for you" he said over his shoulder.

He didn't get an answer, though he expected that. He heard footsteps behind him indicating Jack moving towards the meal he set out. He turned around and was surprised to see Jack walking away with the meal in hand as well as his bag. He's seen Jack take his bag deeper into the woods and just assumed that there was something inside there that he didn't want him to see. However he's never taken hi meal with him and his action told him that something was up.

"And where are you going?" Carter asked with a little more seriousness in his voice.

"Somewhere else" Jack yelled back before he disappeared into the deepness of the forest.

Carter was left standing there, not quite sure what to do. He was thinking if he had done anything recently that would tick him off but he couldn't remember anything significant. He wondered if he should chase after him, although Jack had left his sleeping bag and other items here so he knew that he'd come back.

Instead he just stood there, looking in the direction of which Jack had walked to.

"Where are you going..."

...

Jack stood up from the log he was sitting on, throwing the remaining bones and berry seeds to the side. He walked over to his bag he had set down and started rummaging through his things.

 _Why have you been so pissy lately?_ Agent 000 asked out of nowhere.

Jack didn't respond and this time, the agent wasn't going to have it.

 _I'm not playing these games anymore. You've been an absolute dick to both me, and Carter._

 _Does it matter?_ Jack shot back.

 _Yes. Yes it does._

Jack let out a huff of annoyance and furrowed his brow. He didn't continue the conversation and proceeded in taking out the different items in his bag.

 _Hey! I'm not done talking here. I know that your change in attitude is probably because of the darkness inside, but that doesn't mean you endorse it. If you haven't figured it out, whatever affects you affect me. The only difference is that I didn't allow it to change my personality but you did._

 _Who said my new personality is because of the darkness? I came out here to find myself right? What if this is who I am?_ Jack responded, although his questions were more like statements.

 _Then you need to change that. If you think being a dick to everyone and everything is how you should proceed, you're making a huge mistake._

Jack rubbed his eyes. Technically the agent was right but he felt like he had to oppose it somehow. Everything was just so difficult and confusing in his life. Who he is is still a mystery and although he thought he found it, now he's being proven wrong. Nowadays, whenever he had a problem, he'd go and talk to Carter. The man has become his mentor in the past days but how is he supposed to explain the force inside of him without explaining everything else?

The teen sighed, realizing that if he wanted to fix his problem, he would have to start making amends. That started with the other person that shared a body with him, and ended with the man who has helped him survive in the wild for so long.

 _You're right. I've been a dick and I let the darkness take over my personality._ Jack admitted to the agent. _But what am I supposed to do? We've had this conversation before, maybe not in these exact terms, but we have never found a fix to this problem._

Subconsciously, Agent 000 smiled. He had finally gotten through to the teen but he did have some truth in his words. The only reason this started is because of the uncontrollable force inside and they haven't had a way of containing it yet. Sure the mind barrier had worked before, but it has become ineffective along with any other method they've tried. In a sense, he couldn't blame Jack for letting the darkness take over his personality since he's almost fell for the temptation as well.

 _Apology accepted_ , the agent said, earning a small smile from Jack. _As for our little "infestation problem", I've had an idea..._

 _This has gone on for too long. We need to get this thing under control and quick. I'm done letting the darkness roam free and mess up my life whenever it wants to. It's ruined my family, it's ruined my relationship, but I won't let it ruin me._

 _Just to let you know, you may be against this idea._

 _I don't care, I'll do whatever it takes._

 _Alright then. This may seem strange but I truly believe Carter is our best help. I've seen his way with words and his knowledge is far more wide-spread than you might think. Besides, he's the only person you can go to and also might not have such a big reaction to when you tell him the truth._

Jack thought for a moment. Truth be told, he's been having the same ideas. Like the agent said, Carter's knowledge much more developed than either his or Agent 000 and he seems to know a lot about problem solving. But once again, the problem remains, he'd have to tell him about the Autobots.

 _I've been thinking the same thing. I trust him, probably more than I should, but I do. Maybe he is the only one who can help._

 _Then it's settled. Tonight, you tell him the truth._

 _Tonight it is..._

...

 **Author's Note: I'm back! Wow, a week without updating felt like years. Sorry about the late update, was extremely busy with other stuff. Prepping for our first football game means 3-4 hours of training every day. Not only that but I have been under the weather lately (I blame you Jay) and it's just been a tight week.**

 **I definitely don't want to go a week without updating and truth be told, this chapter was cut in two. The rest of it will be published tomorrow in the next chapter. I just needed to put something up for today just to make sure people knew that I was still alive :P.**

 **Please review and follow/favorite if you haven't already. Means alot. Take Care.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The crackling of the fire was the only thing that could be heard throughout the night. No sounds from the forest, no whistling in the wind, and most notably, no talking between the two people sitting around the fire. It had been like that all day, with Jack and Carter sharing the minimum amount of words needed. Other than the occasional "could you pass that" or "it's over there", they kept their thoughts to themselves.

Well, that could be said for Carter but not so much for Jack. His day was spent in his head, speaking with Agent 000 and rehearsing what he was going to say. He needed help, he knew that already, but it was a matter of _how_ he gets that help that will dictate his future. One way, he could get the help he needed and maybe be able to return to see Arcee again, but he other way could land him alone in the forest again… or worse.

Jack looked up and inconspicuously peered at the man sitting on the log across from him. Still, for some reason, he felt as though he could trust him, even though he only met him a few weeks ago. Carter had been there when he needed him most, and although they are both living it out in the wild, Carter has taken on the role of a father figure. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that he was about to reveal everything to someone most people would call a "stranger", including secrets he'd promised the Autobots he'd keep to himself.

The teen took a couple deep breaths and silently shook off his nerves. This was probably the hardest decision he's ever made, even more difficult than his decision to leave his home and come out here. But Jack knew that he couldn't procrastinate any longer. It was now, or never.

"Hey Carter," Jack started, getting the attention of the man across from him.

"What's up Jack?" he responded, a little friendlier than Jack expected.

"Uh…" the teen stammered, clearing his throat. "I just want to say sorry about the way I've been acting recently. I know that I've been a real dick and just want to explain a little about why…"

Carter blinked, then smiled. "Hey, forget about it. Everyone has bad days, no need to explain yourself, I totally get it."

The fire started to get dimmer so the man began picking up small sticks and throwing them in to keep it going. Jack did the same, wanting to reveal everything smoothly rather than lay it all out there.

"No, it's more complicated than that. You see, my past is kind of weird and I guess things are starting to catch up with me." Jack continued, tossing some sticks into the fire. "I haven't been totally honest with you before, in fact, the reason I'm out here is completely different from what I told you."

The man sat up straight, raising an eyebrow and having a facial expression that seemed to represent his thinking face.

"Does this have something to do with that katana and sniper rifle you have hidden in your bag?"

This time Jack blinked and he knew Agent 000 did the same inside his head.

"What? You knew about that?"

Carter nodded. "Yup, for a while now. I've just been waiting until you told me why you have them. Just a little tip; if you're trying to hide something, make sure your bag isn't wide open and completely exposing everything inside."

 _Crap…_ Jack thought, hearing a little chuckle echo through his head.

"Uh, yeah, it does have something to do with that" he said, scratching his head. Jack took another deep breath, and continued. "I need help Carter. I have this one problem that's been bugging me for a while and I thought I had it under control, but it's been coming back recently, this time, with more punch to it. I need to talk to someone and you're the only one I think that can help me."

"Sounds serious" Carter said, scratching his chin. "Anything you need Jack, don't feel pressured to talk to me. I'd be glad to help, although I'm still not quite sure about what you're talking about."

Jack took his last and final breath.

 _Here goes…_

"Carter, I'm not the person you think I am. I have a more deeper and darker past, and what I'm about to tell you may sound unbelievable, but trust me when I say, it's true. I need you to trust that I am telling the truth, otherwise nothing will make sense."

The man thought for a moment and shifted into a more comfortable position on his log. He then gave Jack a nod, telling him he was ready to hear him out.

"Ok," Jack started, staring at Carter straight in the eyes. "Before I explain my problem, I'm going to have to start from the beginning."

And so, he did just that.

He began by talking about his life before the Autobots; going to school, working at the KO Burger, his family's financial situation, and just about every detail he could think of. The one thing he didn't tell him was about his father, but that was for a good reason.

Next he started explaining his first encounter with Arcee and the rest of the Autobots. He talked about meeting Arcee in the KO Burger's parking lot and thinking that she was just a normal motorcycle. That, of course, resulted in him being chased by the two Vehicons and eventually led to his first experience with an Autobot vs. Decepticon battle. The following day, he was brought to the secret base situated in the desert and introduced to the rest of the Autobots: Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Optimus Prime.

Jack continued by giving brief summaries of all the little adventures they had following their first encounter. He mentioned destroying the spacebridge, running away from Decepticons, and traveling to Cybertron to restore Optimus' memories. He was also keen in mentioning the strong bond they had developed with their alien friends, pointing out that they had become more of a family than a group of friends.

Before diving into the deeper and more recent things, Jack made sure to take a glance at Carter to make sure he was still following him. Sure enough, the man was still attentively listening, although he seemed to be deep in thought, taking in all the new information he was being told.

The teen started by speaking about MECH; a secret organization who's main goal is to rule the entire world with an iron fist. He also mentioned his strengthening relationship with Arcee, making her special to him in a way that he never thought he'd feel. Jack explained how his relationship with his partner got stronger through the telling of his kidnapping and experimentation.

Knowing that Carter was a former military officer, Jack made sure to approach the idea of Agent 000 cautiously, however there isn't a good way of explaining how a separate consciousness, implanted into his head by MECH, killed hundreds of military troops without mercy and without breaking a sweat.

Jack finished off his little adventure with MECH by telling him how he could regain control over his body and push the darkness, including Agent 000, deeper inside of him. Although some of it was the encouraging words the Autobots gave him, in the end, it was Arcee's confession that gave him the strength to push through. It was because, and only because, Arcee confessed her love for him that he could break his restraints and regain control.

After taking down MECH, Jack spoke of the struggle he began to have between his love for Arcee, and the building darkness inside of him. He was having trouble choosing between protecting the love of his life, or letting her in. Eventually, his choice was made when he realized that the darkness was not something he could control fully.

It was around this time where the Genetic Exchanger was brought out from Ratchet's storage area and accidently activated, turning all the Autobots into humans. Jack explained how his home became the home for eight, talking about how life just became a whole lot more difficult, although it did allow them to bond even closer, especially his relationship with Arcee. He mentioned the mental image he took that one day before he left for work, when all the human turned Autobots as well as his mom, were all sitting around the table, talking and laughing as they ate. It was at that time when he truly realized how much of a family they had become.

Another important event that happened around this time was the return of Agent 000, and Jack was sure to talk about his new experience in the sub-conscious realm. He talked about the little event that happened the first night Agent 000 regained control, although he did mention the change in attitude the agent was beginning to have towards the concept of "life". He explained how he eventually got through to the agent, making friends with him and Agent 000 becoming one of his most trusted allies, especially when it came to their fight with the darkness inside.

Before he moved on, Jack felt that it was necessary to explain further his fluctuating relationship with Arcee. He explained how he wanted to love her and how he wanted to show her just how much she meant to him, but the darkness inside prevented him from doing so. In fact, it was because of the darkness that he would have to push her away from him when they began getting too close, and one time even making him ignore her for an entire week. To make up for his actions towards his girlfriend, Jack brought up the idea of going on vacation with her and described every beautiful moment he had with her.

During this time, while the Genetic Exchanger was still being fixed, they were introduced to Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen: fellow Autobots who had been separated after the war on Cybertron. With new recruits that had not turned into humans, Team Prime could send them out on recon missions as well as relic retrieval missions, although that proved to be a mistake when the Hammer of Solis Prime was uncovered and taking by Megatron. Along the lines of bad luck, Megatron had also discovered Optimus Prime's "new transformation" and planned on attacking the vulnerable humans, knowing that their biggest threat was out of the way. This forced Team Prime to act and Jack explained the plan they had of bording the Nemesis, using the Hammer of Solis Prime to repair the Genetic Exchanger, and stopping Megatron's attempts of ruling Earth.

After revealing Agent 000 to the others, Jack quickly gave Carter a run down of how the entire battle happened. From Unit One's battle in the command center to the final battle that took place in the vault, Jack recalled everything in so much detail, he was surprised that he could remember so vividly. Although there were things that he remembered clearly that didn't come to a surprise to him.

It was during the battle where he began duelling Megatron, and was also when the warlord realized he had dark energon running through him. Having been a wielder of dark energon, Megatron took advantage of his experience and unleashed the darkness Jack had so desperately kept hidden inside of him. His little outrage resulted in Wheeljack being critically injured by his blade and it was at that moment when Jack realized just how dangerous he is, even to his family, even to Arcee.

Nearing the end of his recalling, Jack talked about his distancing from everyone else. He brought up the idea of leaving, and while Agent 000 encouraged him to stay with the people in his life that made him happy, Jack knew that it was something he had to do. And so, on that fateful night, Jack packed his bag, took his necessary equipment, and left, leaving behind his life, his family, but most importantly, Arcee.

Silence followed when Jack finished speaking. The teen had to catch his breath, not realizing how long he had been talking, and spent a couple minutes taking deep breaths. After he regained his bearings, he turned to the man who had been listening the entire time, realizing that Carter had not spoken a single word.

The man across from him was no longer sitting up straight. Instead, he was slouching his back, staring down at the ground. Obviously, he was deep in thought and Jack worried that he brought it all on too quick.

"So…" he said quietly, snapping Carter out of his trance.

The man blinked a couple times before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"Wow… just… wow."

"I knew it, you don't believe me" Jack said in a sad tone. He really thought that Carter would believe him, but he can't blame him. Anyone else would say that he was crazy. "Just forget it, I'll get my things and leave. Sorry for bothering you."

Jack began getting off when he felt a hand touch his arm.

"No wait Jack" Carter said, "that's not what I meant. I believe you."

The teen turned around, his heart no longer thumping. Maybe, just maybe, Carter can help him.

"Really? You believe me?"

The man nodded. "Yes I do, although I believe you because of another reason. I guess it's my turn to confess."

Now it was Jack who was confused but he decided to hear him out. "What do you mean?"

"Take a seat" Carter replied, motioning towards the log. Jack down and the man started telling his own story.

"Back when I was first transferred to the military facility here in the US, things were going slowly and although I had years of computer engineering under my belt, I began falling behind when it came to competing with the younger fellows. It seemed like my old age and outdated knowledge started to catch up with me. It was a miracle that I was able to get anything done."

"One day, while training some new recruits on how to find cover in the field, an alarm went off throughout the compound, signaling a breach in the area. I didn't take it too seriously at the time, thinking it was just a drill for the recruits, but I followed my protocol and began leading them towards the barracks."

"That's when I saw it; a strange green vortex that appeared out of nowhere, just swirling in mid-air. Then, these 10 feet tall robots began emerging from the vortex, robots that could transform into Earth vehicles and were armed as well. All of them were purple except for two; a red sports car and a dark blue Jeep, who I presume to oversee the attack."

"Everywhere I looked, I saw destruction. The robots were heavily armed and plowed through our tanks and Humvees. Soldiers, old and young, were being tossed around like rag dolls. The new recruits and I desperately shot at the robots but it came to no avail, and like the surviving forces, we were forced to retreat. During the retreat, a tank next to me was blown up and I was knocked unconscious."

"By the time I woke up, the robots were leaving through that green vortex with what looked like one of our prototype energy sources, but this time, they were shooting at these other robots. At the time, my head was ringing from the inside and I was surprised that I was still alive but one thing was clear to me: I realized the world was not the world I used to know and that there are too many things that I just don't understand. The next day, I asked for a leave which was accepted immediately. Whether it was my veteran status or the fact that I saw things that I was not supposed to see, the army seemed eager to release me, which was perfectly fine with me."

"After the army, I spent a year trying to figure things out, trying to see where my life would take me next, and I guess it led me here. Away from normal population and from the unfamiliar world that I supposedly lived in. Out here, I can move at my own pace, not having to follow the social standards. Out here, I can live life as I want to live and so that's why I've been out here for so long. That's also why I believe in what you've told me. About the… what are they called… Autobots and Decepticons."

"So you were there when the 'cons attacked that military facility" Jack said, thinking back to the event. "What are the odds of that happening?"

"One in a million" Carter sighed, "but that's enough about me, I think it's time we solve this problem of yours. You said something about a darkness inside?"

Jack's face turned serious again, remembering why they were having the conversation in the first place. He even felt the dark feeling grow stronger as if the darkness had been listening as well and was waiting until its name was called.

"Yeah" Jack responded. "It's like this dark force that seems to want control over my body."

"Could you tell me a bit about your experience with this force?"

The teen nodded. "It started after MECH had bene defeated and I had regained control over myself. I started feeling this dark feeling stirring inside of me as if it wanted to get out. For the longest time, I thought it was Agent 000 wanting to get revenge, but it turns out he had been feeling the same thing."

"Then, I found out when I get worked up about something, that's what gives the darkness the extra boost to take over. The first time it happened, I hospitalized a bully at my school after he started a fight with me. At the time, the human Autobots were with me and they had told me my eyes became red and I had become more brutal as well as stronger. The second time was, as I already told you, when Megatron took advantage of my lack of experience with dark energon which resulted with me attacking Wheeljack."

"So Megatron had experienced the same kind of darkness before?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess so. I mean he seemed to know exactly how to unleash the dark force inside of me."

"And what about Agent 000? Do you think Megatron had experienced something like that as well?"

"No, probably not. He was really surprised when he was introduced to him and even tried to recruit him/me to the Decepticons."

Carter took this information in and thought for a moment. "Ok, so the most logical answer is that this darkness is some sort of side effect to the usage of dark energon. Both you and Megatron had been dosed with a large amount of that substance which would make sense that both of you have encountered this force. It also explains why only you have encountered Agent 000 and he has not since you had been experimented on with other chemical substances as well."

"I guess that makes sense. But how does that help me?" Jack asked. "I've been in contact with too much dark energon to be simply reversed with energon."

"That may be true, but it's nice to know the reasoning behind these forces. However, I think I may have thought of an idea that would allow you to have complete control over this dark force." Carter stated.

"Really? What is it?"

"Hold on" Carter said, holding up a hand. "Before we get to that, do you mind if I speak with Agent 000?"

Jack blinked. "Um… sure. I'm not sure why you suddenly want to but whatever you think is necessary."

 _You want to hear him out for a bit?_ Jack asked into his head.

 _Sure, why not? He did say he might have a solution. I don't see why not._

 _Wait, you're not going to hurt him, are you?_

The agent chuckled. _Come on kid, I thought you knew me better than that. I began to trust him as soon as the conversation had started._

"Ok, he agreed to talk" Jack said.

"Perfect" Carter answered. "Now how does this entire thing work?"

"Watch."

Carter watched closely as Jack's body began to change right in front of him. His blue eyes turned to a dark shade of purple and so did his veins. Small facial features such as his jaw line and cheek bones also had a small altercation. When everything had stopped changing, Carter could sense the dark aura Agent 000 was releasing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Agent 000. My name is Carter Hill. I've heard a lot about you." The man greeted, extending a friendly hand.

Agent 000 laughed, which somewhat surprised him, but gladly accepted the gesture. "No need for introductions Carter. As far as you should know, I met you at the same time Jack did. I can still hear, smell, and feel anything that happens in the real world while inside Jack's consciousness."

"I'm sure you can" Carter responded, letting out his own little chuckle. "You know, you are nothing like Jack had described you."

"Jack was describing my past self and in a sense, he isn't wrong. I'm sure you can feel that darkness I'm probably letting off but don't worry, like he said, I've changed."

The man nodded. "Glad to hear that. And about you and Jack, are you both mutually aligned right now or what's happening?"

Agent 000 raised an eyebrow. "Mutually aligned? No, I believe Jack and I have sorted out our differences and have bonded significantly over the past couple months. We've been through thick and thin and it's because of the kid that I have changed my ways. I owe him my life, although I technically don't have one. But that's also something he's done, shown me that even though I'm only a consciousness, I matter as well."

"Very well, I can see that you are indeed changed Agent 000 and if Jack can live with you inside his mind 24/7, I should have no problem sticking around with you. You're a good person agent, and I hope you will guard help Jack move towards the right direction."

"I will Carter. Thank you for agreeing to help him out. I guess I should return back into his consciousness."

As before, Agent 000's body began changing again and not before long, Carter was looking at the young teen who he had first met while he was warming around his fire.

"Well Jack, if you're ready, I think we should start carrying out this idea of mine." Carter announced.

"I'm ready. But I still don't understand why you had to talk with Agent 000." Jack questioned.

"I just had to see if he was truly devoted to living life to its fullest, rather than ending that of others. As far as I could tell, Agent 000 is a fine gentleman and will continue to help you as you please."

Jack nodded. "Thanks Carter, it means a lot, to both me and him."

The two of them sat there for a moment, not saying a word. Jack tried to figure out what the man's facial expressions were telling him but he was unreadable. Finally, Carter stood up but this time with a much more serious look.

"Alright Jack, after considering this even further, I truly believe this is your best course of action. However, you cannot take this lightly as this is a very serious matter." Carter stated.

"I've taken this serious ever since I realized how dangerous I am to everyone around me. Because of the darkness, I have lost everything. My home, my family, my friends, my life, and most importantly, Arcee."

"Understood" he answered with a nod. Carter motioned to an area in front of the fire he had been clearing out and told Jack to sit down. The teen did was he was told and didn't question anything.

"Now Jack," Carter started with a very somber tone, "as someone who has suffered many losses in his life, I understand and acknowledge the importance of meditation and self-reflection. It is something I have done for years now, and in truth, is what keeps me sane. I would like to share this knowledge onto you."

"You see, after carefully considering everything you have told me, I have found something that has acted as an unforeseen flaw. Jack, I am a man who believes in fate, and judging by what you have told me, you are too. I believe that everything in this world, everything that ever happens, has a reason for being there. Whether that reason is revealed in the present or future, there is a reason behind everything."

"The fact that you, out of all people, you, have experienced things that most could never even dream of raises an eyebrow. Jack, I truly believe that this darkness of yours is not a curse, but a gift. A gift that has yet to be revealed but a gift nonetheless. You have been fighting against this dark force inside you long enough, and it is time you finally experienced the true power of your gift."

"I tell you this now, and I tell you this once! Do not fight this fighting force inside you, but rather absorb it and let it become yours! Jack! You are destined for great things and that all starts with this! Stop fighting it, let it in, take it, and it will be yours to use freely!"

Jack's heart raced as he heard these words come out with so much emotion and passion. Perhaps he had been thinking about it all wrong from the start. Perhaps this darkness is truly a gift and one that he has been pushing away rather than taking it in. But he was scared, and that was something he would admit. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to control the darkness, that it would take over him instead and the inner monster would finally be released to the world.

"Jack listen to me" Carter's words ran through his head, shattering his thoughts. "I know you're scared, I know you're in a tough situation, but you have to listen to me. Trust in yourself, trust in Agent 000, trust that fate has a direction that you were meant to follow. Take all the fighting forces inside you, take it all, and let it become yours, let it become **you**. Do this, and you will become a changed person. Do this, and you will be revived."

And so, Jack did just that. His mind was clear, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't going to do this because he was being told to. He wasn't going to do this because it might be a possible solution. He was doing this for Arcee, for their love that they have shared and embraced, for a future where he may one day see her again. That is why he did it, and did it, he did.

Jack dove into his sub-consciousness, travelling deep inside to the lair the darkness has bene hiding in all this time. He saw the door he and Agent 000 had built, a barricade to hide the dark force away. He saw the holes and small creaks in the door, caused from the darkness trying to escape, but this time instead of repairing it, jack was going to do the opposite.

Using all his strength, both physically and mentally, Jack began pushing the door open. He felt the rush of cold air as he did, a force begging him to go inside and other things that he could never describe, however he knew that Agent 000 was right behind him, so he ignored the temptations and moved on. He and the agent pushed the door all the way open and the two of them faced that open area, waiting for the darkness to emerge.

Suddenly, it came out, surrounding them in a red haze. Jack felt himself being ripped apart, as if the darkness was eating himself from the inside out. He wanted to fight back, he wanted to push it away, but Jack fought through the pain and began to absorb it.

"YOU… ARE… MINE!"

A blue aura appeared, surrounding Jack's sub-conscious body and looking over, he saw that Agent 000's purple aura had also appeared. With a reassuring nod from the agent, Jack opened his mind, opened his heart, and opened his soul, and let it all pour in. Instantly he felt the power of the red force enter him, with purple forces aiding him and pushing back the force so that it didn't all come at once. Jack felt his heart begin to split in two, then repair itself, then split in two again. His life flashed before his eyes as everything was changing colours. The pain, the suffering, everything was too much but he allowed it to happen anyways. His thoughts were a swirl of unstable ideas but the one thing he saw was the angel of his life, giving him the power to take it all in. That angel: Arcee.

In the real world, Carter had stumbled back, amazed at what was happening. Jack's body was convulsing, twitching and shaking but surprisingly still remaining in the same sitting position. What was more amazing was the light show that was emitting from his body. Blue, purple, red, three colours representing the three forces inside Jack's mind, mixing and intertwining with each other. Carter could see that the red was trying to become the one with the power, but the blue and the purple auras were too much for it. Suddenly, everything began to become brighter as Carter saw the blue aura become lighter and lighter, to a point where he had to cover his eyes from the brightness. It was a blinding blue light that engulfed the entire forest, the power of Jack's driving force that pushed him forward.

Then, it all disappeared.

Carter, still amazed, slowly lowered his hand to see a hunched over body. There was an aura still surrounding it, but it was neither blue, purple, or red. Rather, it was green, and green that represented the light, and the darkness. A green that represented the new Jack.

"It is done" the man said, seeing the being arise to its feet.

"Arise Jack, for your new life has begun."

The being turned around, it's emerald eyes looking directly at Carter.

"You know me as Jack, and that is who I am, but I am not the same… I have become someone much more…"

"I am Stealth."

…

 **Author's Note: Hello! I have returned! Man, it's great to be back! I greatly apologize for my 3-month hiatus but there is good reason for that.**

 **For those of you who don't know, I never planned on taking this hiatus. Unfortunately, about 3 months ago, my old laptop (mind you which contained my organizer, ideas, and finished chapters) broke and never turned on again. Without a laptop and with the loss of all my files, I was unable to publish or even write for that matter. It was a tough time for me and is the reason why I haven't updated in so long.**

 **I would also like to address those who have supported me all this way. For my old supporters (you know who you are), I truly hope you're still hear and have been patient with me. If you are, then send me a PM to let me know that you are still with me on these stories. If not, I thank all of those who have helped me to this point so far. I could have never done it without them and I wish them the best of luck in the future.**

 **As for my new readers and supporters, welcome! I guess we'll never get a formal introduction but I hope you enjoy what I am writing and will stick around for a while. I greatly appreciate everything you all have done for me in my time away and the number of PMs I have gotten and reviews telling me to continue inspired me to get this chapter done ASAP, so thank you.**

 **As I have mentioned before, I did lose my organizer and ideas and truth be told, I can't exactly write out another one since it took months to plan. Instead, I'll be going with the flow and writing as I go, which means that I won't be updating with the schedule I had promised earlier. I will try to get a new chapter out every 3-4 days but if I need extra time to write a new chapter, I will take it.**

 **Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will continue to follow this story and series. Be sure to leave a review, follow, favorite or even send me a PM, it really does mean a lot and let's me know that I will always have people behind my back. Thanks again, and have a great day.**

 **Ilikepieguy123**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Hah! In your face Miko! That's four wins in a row for the good guys!"

Raf celebrated on the couch with Bumblebee as Miko pouted from the side.

"Haha, don't worry about it Miko. We'll get 'em next time" Bulkhead said, placing down his controller which had been specially designed for Autobots.

"Hmf, whatever" Miko responded. "You guys play way more than me and Bulk do…"

The group of Autobots laughed as Miko began rambling on about how Raf and Bumblebee spend all their time on the controller and never let her get enough "practice" to beat them.

"I gotta say little dude, that game looks like fun" Jazz pointed out. "It's too bad we didn't have things like that on Cybertron."

"No, I think it's a good thing we didn't, otherwise 'bots like you would have been gaming all day" Ironhide joked, slapping Jazz on the back.

"You guys want to play?" Raf asked, motioning to one of the controllers. "It's really easy."

Jazz looked at Air Raid. "You want to go wings? You've always wanted to know how it feels to race."

"Uh, sure, I guess. I don't know how to play though."

"It's only Mario Kart" Raf said. "Bee and I can teach you."

The group watched as Jazz and Air Raid struggled to drive properly in the digital world. Their characters crashed, and fell, and even began driving backwards until Air Raid finally put down the controller in defeat.

"Primus, I hate driving" the Aerialbot concluded, raising his hands. "You win Jazz."

"Haha! I knew you didn't have the bearings to take me on!"

"I wouldn't call that a win Jazz, you barely made it past the starting line!" Raf pointed out and the group burst out laughing.

Although the new Autobots had only recently arrived, already were they being treated as part of the family, mostly because of their fun and enjoyable personalities. Jazz's light-hearted jokes and energetic feeling lightens up the mood instantaneously. Meanwhile, Ironhide is both serious and funny, depending on the situation. Unlike the older Autobots, he is more social and loves telling tales of the olden days. As for the others, Air Raid is laid back and just good to have around and Sideswipe is just all of the above. Miko had mentioned earlier that he resembles Jack in a way and joked that it explains why he is already so close with Arcee. That was deserving of a shove from Raf who warned Miko not to say that around the distraught two-wheeler. All in all, the new 'bots were fitting in nicely and the others were glad to show them around.

Speaking of the two-wheeler, out of the corner of his optic, Sideswipe spotted Arcee come back from her morning ride.

"Hey Arcee" the red bot waved to her.

The two-wheeler only gave him a weak smile before walking towards her quarters.

"Uh, what's up with Arcee?" Sideswipe asked the group.

"Shhh!" Bulkhead and Wheeljack warned, startling the red bot a bit. "Keep your voice down."

Sideswipe raised an eyebrow and looked at the other three recently arrived Autobots, all of them unsure of why they were being hushed or what all the commotion is about.

"Raf, you care to explain why we have to keep our voices down?" Ironhide asked.

"Uh, it's a long story Ironhide. Basically, a couple weeks before you guys arrived, Jack left us for reasons I'll explain later. Anyways, he and Arcee were really close-,"

"Like boyfriend and girlfriend close," Miko jumped in.

"-yeah, that close. Arcee's been emotionally damaged ever since Jack left so any mention of his name or anything like that gets her riled up so watch what you say."

"What's a boyfriend and girlfriend?" Air Raid questioned, never hearing that term before.

"It's the term for two lovers before they become sparkmates" Wheeljack rehearsed from Ratchet's explanation. "But I'm pretty sure Arcee and Jack had a stronger relationship than normal sparkmates. I think the only reason they never did the ritual is because they didn't know how."

"Didn't know how? Every Cybertronian knows how to bond with someone else to become sparkmates" Ironhide stated.

"Yeah, but Jack isn't Cybertronian. He's human, just like us" Miko answered, pointing at herself and Raf.

"HUMAN?" the four new Autobots exclaimed together.

"Yup, but Arcee and Jack is one of the more normal things that have happened around here. There was this one time when-,"

 _~BLEEP~BLEEP~BLEEP~BLEEP~BLEEP~_

The alarm echoed through the base and as it did, Optimus, Ultra Magnus, and Ratchet came rushing in from the storage vault. A few moments later, Arcee appeared as well although she stood off to the side as Ratchet checked the control console.

"Are Decepticons attacking?" Jazz asked, looking at the blinking red dot on the globe.

"Not attacking, but I am getting signals from an Iacon relic." Ratchet answered, turning around. "And if I'm not mistaken when I say none of us have been out relic hunting…"

"…the Decepticons must have found the next set of coordinates and are uncovering it as we speak." Optimus finished. Bumblebee beeped and the Prime nodded his head. "Bumblebee is right, we must act quickly before they retrieve the relic. Ultra Magnus, I am sending you to lead a team and stop the Decepticons at all costs."

"Yes, sir." The lieutenant answered. "Bumblebee, Jazz, with me. Your ability to move around quickly may be beneficial on this mission."

The two Autobots nodded and quickly followed Ultra Magnus towards the groundbridge Ratchet had just opened.

"Might I suggest bringing Air Raid along as well? I believe his capability of flight may give us an upper edge in battle." Ratchet suggested.

"Smart thinking old friend." Optimus concurred. "Air Raid?"

"No problem Optimus" the Aerialbot answered, joining Ultra Magnus and the others.

"Are you all ready?" the lieutenant asked, looking at his team. They all nodded their heads and he turned to Ratchet.

"Our com-links are on and we are properly equipped. If we are in need of back-up, I will contact you."

The medic nodded and the four Autobots ran through the vortex, the green spiral closing once they disappeared.

…

"Ratchet, we have made it safely, can you read?"

Ultra Magnus tried his com-link again but all he got was static. He looked around him, observing the landscape. They were stationed in a rocky area and it seemed like they were on a mountain, but it was hard to tell because of the amount of fog.

"Have you got a signal?" Jazz asked his commander.

"No, there must be something jamming our communications. Nevertheless, we have a mission to follow." Ultra Magnus raised his scanner as it pinpointed the location of the relic with a red dot.

"That way" he pointed. "Autobots, let's move."

The four of them transformed into their respective vehicles and began travelling towards the relic, cautiously moving forward since they were blinded by the fog. Little did they know the red dot had moved locations the opposite way.

…

"Omega One to Ultra Magnus, can you read?"

Ratchet shook his head, giving up. "Something is jamming our signal, I can't reach them."

"That is alright Ratchet, I have faith in Ultra Magnus and the others." Optimus said, placing a hand on the medic's shoulder.

"I do to Optimus, but it's a matter of… that's strange."

"What's strange?" Miko asked, looking up at the console.

"Well for one, the relic Ultra Magnus' team was sent to retrieve is moving in an unpredictable pattern. Furthermore, it isn't just moving around but rather disappearing and reappearing in a different location."

"It's a trap!" Bulkhead concluded.

"Unlikely, our scanners would have picked up Decepticon signals long before we received that of the relic. A decoy would be the more likely reason."

"But a decoy from what?" Wheeljack asked.

His answer was given in mere moments as the control console began beeping again.

"Primus… Optimus! We've picked up a second Iacon signal, this time with multiple Decepticon signals as well." Ratchet exclaimed.

"Ratchet, open a groundbridge. Smokescreen, Sideswipe, you are both with me. Ironhide, you will stay to aid Ratchet in bringing back Ultra Magnus and his team." Optimus ordered.

"You can count on me Optimus." The red wrecker said.

"Optimus" came a voice to the side and the Prime watched Arcee walk over. "I'm coming with you. I'm still an Autobot and nothing will change that."

Optimus thought for a moment, remembering how she had become so easily distracted in her fight with Starscream. He couldn't risk that happening again, however when he saw the determination in her eyes, he caved in.

"Very well, but you must keep your mind focused Arcee."

The two-wheeler nodded and transformed, as did the others.

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus ordered as they drove into the groundbridge.

…

As soon as the Autobots arrived, they were forced to duck behind a pile of rocks to avoid detection from nearby Vehicons. Optimus put up two servos and motioned towards them, activating the sword in his left hand. The Prime disappeared for a moment, swiftly deactivated the two guards, and slipped back to their cover.

"Woah, look at that" Smokescreen said, pointing towards a large clearing below the cliff they were on.

The four Autobots looked to where the rookie was pointing and sure enough, large squadrons of Vehicons were moving rocks and boulders, drilling away at something.

"What are they drilling at?" Sideswipe asked, noticing how all of them seemed to be focusing on one specific area.

"Not sure, but it must be important if he's here." Smokescreen replied as he pointed to servos.

Standing in the middle of the drill site was Megatron, recovered from his last battle and monitoring the Vehicons' process. Next to him was Airachnid, probably just there for support, but seemed to be just as impatient as Megatron was. Optimus noticed how their facial expressions were rather strange, having glimpses of rush and urgency but also a hint of worry. What they were worried about, he wanted to know.

"Enough!" Megatron bellowed, pushing away a Vehicon standing in his way. "No protective shield will stop me from uncovering this relic! Not if I have dark energon running through my veins and working gears in my systems!"

From this distance, the Autobots couldn't get a good view of what Megatron was talking about since his back blocked the way. They did, however, see the warlord struggle to pull something out of the large boulder in front of him. Megatron pulled and tugged, and did everything I his power but whatever it was, it didn't budge. He became so fed up, he took a few steps back, raised his canon, and shot multiple canon blasts at the object.

As the dust settled, the Autobots could finally get a good look at what Megatron was pulling at. Sticking out from the boulder was some sort of handle, although its dull gray colour was nothing too special to look at. None of them knew what it was except Optimus whose optics widened increasingly.

"What's so special about a handle?" Smokescreen asked, getting a shrug from Sideswipe and a blank look from Arcee.

"That is no mere handle Smokescreen…" Optimus said, getting the attention of the others. "That, is the Star Saber: a sword created by Solis Prime that holds powers equal to the Matrix of Leadership itself. It is known as one of the most powerful Cybertronian relics but can only respond to the power of a Prime, and a power of a Prime alone."

"Woah, so that's what it is" the rookie awed, squinting to try to get a better look at it.

"Optimus, what's a relic like that doing on a planet like this?" Sideswipe questioned.

"As we have discovered with our time on this planet, Earth plays a greater role in our history than you may think, Sideswipe. Before we lost Iacon, Earth was one of the main planets Alpha Trion had sent the relics to keep them out of Decepticon hands. Regardless of the past, we must retrieve the Star Saber before the Decepticons have it transported away. If Megatron is able to crack the code to the sword's protective shield and wield it to it's full potential, the balance of power will be shifted dramatically in Decepticon favour."

"All right, let's kick some Decepticon aft" Smokescreen eagerly said, smashing his fist into his hand.

"Ratchet, we have discovered that the relic we seek is the Star Saber. We are preparing an assault on the drill site, however Megatron is here as well." Optimus said into his com-link. "Send Ultra Magnus' team to the last groundbridge coordinates as soon as possible. Optimus out."

"Look, they're getting ready move the boulder." Smokescreen pointed out.

Looking down it seemed like Megatron had stopped trying to pry the sword loose and instead had his troops clear the area and keep guard. The large shadow of the Nemesis covered the area as the warlord motioned where the clamp must go.

"I want this boulder moved now! I will not let Optimus get a hold of this relic!" Megatron yelled, ordering his troops around. "Get to your stations now! If the Autobots atta-,"

"CHARGE!"

The warlord spun around just in time to deflect one of Smokescreen's blasts. Startled by the sudden assault, he began firing back at the rookie. Smokescreen jumped and rolled to avoid being hit by Megatron's powerful dark energon pulses and eventually was forced into cover.

"Lord Megatron, what do you want me to do?" Airachnid asked.

Megatron had forgotten she was next to him and having been flustered by the attack, he angrily picked up the spider by her chest-piece. "Protect the relic! If you fail me again Airachnid, I will personally see to your painful punishment!"

With that, he threw her into the middle of the battle, watching her get up and scamper towards Arcee. Megatron once again began shooting his own blaster at the three oncoming Autobots when suddenly something dawned on him. He stopped firing and looked around, worry creased across his face.

"Where is Optimus?"

Suddenly, the warlord spotted the Prime scaling up the mountain to his right. The Nemesis was in process of lifting the relic up into the air and Optimus was making a good show of acrobatics as he climbed the mountain.

"Keep Prime from the relic!" Megatron ordered as he transformed and flew into the air. A squadron of Vehicons followed him, shooting at Optimus as they flew by.

"Autobots, I require cover fire!" The Prime communicated.

"You heard Optimus, give him some cover!" Sideswipe repeated, rolling over to Smokescreen and shooting a the Vehicons who were looping around. The experienced red Autobot managed to shoot down two before he had to duck and roll, blasting the Vehicon who tried to take him out from behind.

"Slick moves dude" Smokescreen said.

"Thanks, but there's no time to talk right now. Where's Arcee?"

The rookie looked around, scanning the area for their two-wheeler teammate. It was hard to see past all the approaching Vehicons but he spotted her farther back, squaring off against Airachnid.

"There she is, going to toe-to-toe with Airachnid. Should we help her?"

"No, Optimus needs us right now. Arcee can take care of herself." Sideswipe ordered.

…

"Ah Arcee, nice to see you haven't lost your spunk after our last battle" the spider bot coaxed. She was furious with Megatron, having been tossed around like a rag doll, but fighting Arcee always cheered her up.

"Airachnid..." Arcee growled, activating her blades. "Don't think I forgot about what you did to Tailgate."

"Oh, don't you worry. I didn't forget." Airachnid answered calmly, tapping her chin with her finger. "Although I'm more interested in your new partner. How is Jack, hmm?"

A wave of emotions shot through Arcee as she struggled to hold it in. She was in combat right now and couldn't be distracted like last time, although just the mention of Jack almost put her to tears.

"Shut up" Arcee warned, clenching her hand into a fist.

"Aw, did something happen between you and Jack? Have you two had a fight?"

"SHUT UP!" Arcee yelled, running at the spider bot swinging her blades around. All she wanted to do was wipe the smug look off Airachnid's face but every swing resulted in a block.

"What's this? A hint of ferocity? This is very unusual coming from you Arcee." Airachnid mocked, easily blocking the two-wheeler's punches. She noticed that Arcee was clenching her teeth tight and smiled, knowing her talking was working.

"You know, I was very impressed with Jack earlier when he invaded the Nemesis. I'm not sure where he developed abilities like that but I'm interested. He fought with so little remorse I thought he was a Decepticon."

"Stop!" Arcee yelled.

"Oh, did I say something that offended you Arcee? I tell you what, because you don't seem to care about your little Jack anymore, I'd gladly take him off your hands. I've been thinking about leaving Megatron's ranks recently so I'm sure he and I could be a great team. Maybe even _partners_ , don't you think?"

"STOP!" Arcee yelled again, almost begging her to stop. The two-wheeler's attack slowed and Airachnid watched as Arcee fell to her knees.

"Stop… please… I can't take it." The two-wheeler sobbed.

Normally Airachnid would use this time to end her rival once and for all but something intrigued her. Arcee didn't usually act this way, even when she talked about Tailgate. Something had happened with Jack and it goes further than just the loss of a partner.

The spider bot studied Arcee as she sobbed and suddenly her optics widened.

"I don't believe it" she exclaimed, figuring it out. "I don't believe it! You… and Jack?" Airachnid laughed, taking one of her fingers to lift Arcee's head. The two-wheeler's optics were glimmering form her tears but Airachnid saw the emotion that came with them, confirming her suspicions.

"Well, well, well. Now this is different. A Cybertronian and a human, together. I knew you were desperate Arcee but I did not see this coming" she snickered. "Although now that I think of it, Jack is pretty cute when he runs. Now I'm dying to know how it feels to have his lips pressed up against mine."

"Stay away from him!" Arcee cried, trying to get up and land a hit. Unfortunately for her, she was in no position to do so. Thus, Airachnid lifted her up by the throat, her legs dangling above the ground.

"Foolish little Arcee. Can't you see your too emotionally damaged to fight? I should end you right now but where's the fun in that?" Airachnid mocked, turning to watch just as Optimus reached the top of the mountain. Megatron and his squadron couldn't get a good shot at the Prime since Sideswipe and Smokescreen were shooting them down one by one. The spider bot noticed Optimus transform into his vehicle mode, driving as fast as he could up a ramp like ground towards the boulder, now over a hundred feet in the air.

"Then again, even though I am leaving the Decepticons, I'd rather not have you Autobots in control of a powerful weapon like the Star Saber" Airachnid smirked. Quickly she lifted Arcee higher up in the air, turning towards Sideswipe and Smokescreen.

"Hey boys!" she yelled out, getting their attention.

"Arcee!" they both exclaimed, although that split second where their defenses were lowered was exactly what Airachnid was waiting for. In two swift shots, she disabled Smokescreen's legs and skimmed Sideswipe's chassis. She then threw Arcee at the downed Autobots, the two-wheeler's limp body landing on top of them as she struggled to get up.

"A parting gift from yours truly!" Airachnid yelled before aiming and taking a shot towards the boulder. As soon as she fired, the spider bot ran the other way, disappearing into the nearby forest.

Arcee's optics followed the blast as it flew through mid-air. Airachnid had timed it perfectly, anticipating where Optimus was going to jump. Arcee watched as Optimus leaped through the air, an extended hand outwards as he reached for the handle. It was too late, however, as from that position the Prime could do nothing but take Airachnid's blast straight on.

"Optimus!" Arcee cried as she watched her leader plummet hundreds of feet towards the ground. No bot could survive a fall from that height and the two-wheeler could do nothing but watch.

"Optimus, Jack, I've failed you."

…

 **Author's Note: Not much to say except I hope you enjoyed. Be sure to leave a review and follow if you haven't already. I'm no longer updating with a schedule so it'd be smart to follow the story. That way you'll be notified when I do publish a new chapter. Other than that, have a great day.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Optimus fell through the air like a truck.

Struggle as he might, there was no way out of it. He was plummeting hundreds of feet towards the ground with no means of stopping.

Normally Optimus would only be slightly worried. He's taken tough hits before and if he landed correctly, he could probably walk away with a crushed arm and a dented chassis. Because of the blast, however, some of his systems have been stunned and would need a minute to reboot. Unfortunately, by the time that happened, he would have already hit the ground.

And to think, he was so close to reaching the Star Saber.

Optimus closed his eyes as he plummeted for the last few seconds. He wasn't angry about the blast, and he didn't regret anything that had happened. Ever since he landed on Earth with the first Team Prime members, everything has been an adventure, and despite his stern attitude, he took enjoyment in all the things he's done on Earth. It truly was a beautiful planet filled with magnificent creatures and the Prime was glad he could experience it all in his life time.

A small smile trickled across his face as he relaxed and let gravity take its course.

"Till all are one…"

A second later, he hit the surface.

…

"Urgh…"

Optimus' eyes shot open as he realized he was not the one who grunted. In fact, he was no longer falling but rising?

"Optimus, are you all right?"

The Prime sat up, and quickly had to grab on before he fell off. Miraculously, his entire body was still intact and that brief moment where he lost consciousness allowed his systems to reboot. Optimus looked around him and true to his feeling; he was rising above the ground. Underneath him was a familiar jet, carrying him on its back.

"Air Raid!" The Prime exclaimed, breaking his usual seriousness. "How were you able to arrive so soon?"

"Ratchet groundbridged over and found us before we were led astray. He then quickly sent us to these coordinates and just as we arrived, I saw you plummeting towards the ground." The Aerialbot explained. The jet wobbled slightly and Optimus gripped onto Air Raid's wings so that he wouldn't fall off. "Sorry, you're a lot heavier than you look."

"Old friend, do not apologize. I owe you my life."

"Don't mention it Optimus. Now where we headed?"

"Towards that boulder" The Prime pointed. "If you are able to bring me to the bottom of that rock, it will suffice."

"Alright, hold on."

Air Raid turned on the boosters and his sleek jet form screamed through the air. Blaster fire came from the mountain side as the Vehicons, led by Megatron, tried to shoot him down. Fortunately for them, aerial battles on Earth are nothing compared to aerial battles in space. Air Raid easily avoided all chances of shooting them down and reached the boulder, dipping downwards as Optimus had asked.

"Is that what we're aiming for?" he asked, noticing the handle sticking out from the bottom.

"Yes, that is the Star Saber, the most powerful weapon created by Solis Prime."

Air Raid's internal scanner went off as dozens of Vehicons took to the skies behind him.

"Scrap, Optimus I'm going to have to fly by as you grab it. I've got too many boogies on my tail."

The Prime nodded his head, activating his faceplate.

The Aerialbot swooped down further, following the curve of the boulder as he reached the bottom. He slowed slightly to allow Optimus to grab the sword, readying himself for the acceleration needed to out fly the Vehicons.

They neared the handle.

Optimus' hand went up.

The Prime's servos grasped the handle.

And Air Raid accelerated to get clear.

"Optimus!"

A huge weight has been lifted off his back as the Aerialbot realised Optimus had held onto the handle and dismounted his jet form. He watched on his scanner as the Prime dodged the Vehicons passing by him, smashing a wing of one and throwing it into another.

Air Raid didn't have any time to go back for Optimus as he began feeling blaster fire in his backside.

"Hold on Optimus! I'm looping around!"

"Do not worry Air Raid" he responded.

Still dangling from the handle, Optimus felt a surge of energy go through him. He felt the power of the Matrix of Leadership bond with the Star Saber, a light blue light emerging from every crack in his body. His eyes glowed blue as the power of the Primes filled his systems, the sword reacting in sequence by glowing blue as well.

Slowly the Star Saber started to slip out of the boulder, having been reacted from the Prime's touch.

All of a sudden, Megatron flew in a few feet away.

"NO!" he bellowed, sending a powerful canon blast at Optimus.

The sword slipped out right before the blast made contact, sending the Prime plummeting to the ground once again; however this time, he was in control.

Optimus fell to the ground and landed with a bang, dust rising around him in a perfect circle. Footsteps of his Autobots neared as the dust began to settle.

The Prime was on a knee with the Star Saber jammed into the ground. The light blue aura still surrounded him as he looked up at the Autobots.

"Optimus!" yelled Arcee, as she ran over. Behind her was Bumblebee and Jazz, along with them Ironhide and Ultra Magnus, carrying the injured Sideswipe and Smokescreen respectively.

"It's all my fault, I'm sorry" the two-wheeler cried. "Airachnid got the better of my emotions, she reminded me of Jack and I… I…, I failed you Optimus."

"Arcee, it is alright" Optimus tried to say but he realised she was distraught on an emotional level.

Meanwhile, Megatron landed on the Nemesis with a skid and looked down. He clenched his teeth at the sight of Optimus wielding the Star Saber.

"Drop the mountain on him!" he barked.

At his command, the grapples came loose from the boulder and the huge rock fell to the ground. It hit the mountain side, small bits breaking off, as it rolled down directly behind Optimus.

"Optimus, retreat!" Jazz warned. Bumblebee beeped as loud as could as well.

The Prime looked at them and at the Star Saber, seeing the reflection of the boulder on the blade. He waited until the large rock was a meter away from crushing him when he turned around and swung upwards.

Just like that, the giant boulder split in two, both parts rolling in opposite directions as it slowed to a stop. The Autobots looked in amazement as Optimus lifted the Star Saber once again.

"Incredible" Ultra Magnus whispered.

"No way…" was all Smokescreen could say.

Air Raid landed and stared at the Star Saber, amazed at its power as the rest of them.

The Prime looked up at the Nemesis, staring directly at Megatron who just so happened to be looking back. The difference was that now the warlord no longer had a smirk on his face. Instead, he wore a worried expression, staring at Optimus from up above.

Subsequently, Optimus felt a power flow through him and he felt the urge to run forward. Swinging the sword, he spun around and as if he was throwing something, sliced the air in front of him as hard as he could. A huge energy wave shot through the sky, growing as it neared the Nemesis. Nowhere to go, the wave made contact with the ship, rocking everything on it and sending it smoking towards the far direction.

"It can do that?" Smokescreen asked, limping forward to get a better look.

"I guess so…" Air Raid said, watching as the Nemesis flew away into the distance.

As he regained his balance, Megatron looked at the Autobots as they slowly became specks in the distance. He knew the Star Saber was powerful but now that he saw that, he knew that nothing can stop Optimus as long as he wields the sword.

"Decepticons, we are at our darkest hour."

…

"Lord Megatron, Knock Out is requesting a groundbridge."

"Accepted." Megatron confirmed. "Surely Knock Out dares only to return with good news after I sent him after the stray Decepticon signal."

"He sounded very eager my liege" Dreadwing remarked.

"Good, I have lost enough today. Airachnid is nowhere to be found and the Star Saber is now in possession of the last Prime alive. If I am not pleased, then someone will be punished."

Dreadwing only dared to nod his head, knowing that there are some instances where it is smarted to remain quiet. The small blinking light on the control console became green, indicating the groundbridge was being activated.

Megatron and his lieutenant watched as the swirling green vortex opened up. The familiar red medic stepped out with a sinister grin on his face.

"And? What have you discovered Knock Out? My patience is very limited today." Megatron growled.

"Do not fret my liege, I believe this will help turn that frown upside down!"

The warlord growled but Knock Out didn't flinch as he usually would. Instead, the doctor took a step to the side and gestured towards the groundbridge.

"Lord Megatron, I present to you, _our reinforcements_!"

One by one, seven large Decepticons appeared through the groundbridge, each one bigger than the last. As the final one came through, the portal closed as Megatron's eyes widened at the newcomers.

"Happy to see us Megatron?" asked a green and purple Decepticon in the front, with large wheels on his shoulders and legs, making his already bulky frame look bigger.

"Indeed I am Onslaught" the warlord replied, almost chuckling. Suddenly, he began breaking out into a hysterical laugh, puzzling the Decepticons in the room. "The Combaticons: Onslaught, Brawl, Swindle, Vortex, Blast Off, here? Not to mention Barricade and Sideways as well, surely Primus isn't providing us this gift!"

"Uh, erm, excuse me my liege, but _coincidence_ is a better way to describe this" Knock Out said sheepishly. "You see, they have arrived here in search of Autobots who had escaped a war they had been fighting on another planet. As soon as they find those Autobots and figure out why they had left, they'll be returning."

"Is that so," Megatron thought, "Sideswipe, Air Raid? Ironhide, and Jazz? Are these the Autobots you are looking for?"

"Yeah, they're the ones. Sideways, show 'em" Brawl gestured.

The smallest one of the bunch, a sleek, silver Decepticon stepped forward and opened his chest, revealing a screen. Footage of a ship blasting off from the planet Velocitron was displayed.

"That ship…" Dreadwing said, recognizing it as the object multiple Vehicon units were dispatched towards.

A small grin creped across Megatron's face. "Well then, as fate may have it, those Autobots have joined forces with the Autobots unit known as Team Prime, led by Optimus Prime himself. As such, if you wish to capture these four Autobots, you will join my army and follow my commands. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Lord Megatron. We are at your service." Onslaught said, taking a bow.

"Good, Dreadwing, Knock Out, show our guests to their dorms."

"At once, my liege" the lieutenant responded and all nine Decepticons left the control center, leaving Megatron alone, staring out at the darkening sky.

"Perhaps this is not our darkest hour, and you, Optimus, will soon pay for your actions."

…

 **Author's Note: To tell you the truth, this chapter wasn't planned to be this long and is really just a transition scene. Optimus falling to his death was never supposed to be so suspenseful, but once I realized what I was doing, I just went with it. Also I originally planned to incorporate the next part of Arcee's struggles in this chapter but looking at what I have for the future, I was forced to introduce these new characters at this point in the story.**

 **Also, a little side note; if you're finding the number of characters I have in this story a little overwhelming, just leave a review. I have two different directions I can follow and it really depends if you think you're being crowded with too many characters with too little detail. Most of these guys are going to be portrayed as a background character so they really don't matter that much, but others have crucial roles for the future.**

 **That's all from me this week. I hope you all enjoyed and do leave a review. The next chapter should be uploaded soon where, *wink**wink*, things will start coming into play for Arcee.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The battle was the last straw.

The first time, it was Bumblebee and Optimus who she had let down. Now, however, her actions injured Smokescreen and Sideswipe, and almost killed Optimus.

And there was only one reason for it.

"Jack…"

Arcee watched a single energon tear fall onto the picture frame. It just so happened to land between the couple, forming a heart shape before trickling downwards, splitting in two directions, and disappearing into the darkness.

She couldn't help but stifle a weak laugh at the irony of the tear. It seemed like every time something seemed perfect in her life, it would eventually just fall apart. At first, she had blamed fate for her misfortune, but this time was different.

"It's my fault Jack is gone" the two-wheeler whispered to herself. "It's all my fault."

And now, she was paying for it. Every time anyone even mentioned his name, it would bring back memories: the times they had kissed, the times they had held each other, the times where they devoted their lives to each other. Then, reality would strike, crushing her heart and dreams of living a life without the one person in her life she couldn't live without.

But now, Arcee needed to make a choice. She had to choose between carrying the burden of Jack forever, desperately hoping for his return, or forgetting about her one true love and reprising her role as the Autobot's second-in-command, because she can no longer do both. And though Optimus had not directly spoken to her, the look he had given her said it all. She was now a risk, a liability, and she knew that if she did not change, she could never proudly call herself an Autobot again.

"Oh, what do I do?" she cried, sobbing into her hands. How can she just forget about Jack like that? He meant everything to her, and now she had to decide whether to throw that all away. Nothing in her life was more important than him, but then how can she go against the Autobots like that? How can she just turn her back on everything she has fought for, just for her own satisfactory?

That is why she is curled up on her berth, sobbing. She's not crying for the team, not even for herself, but for Jack.

Suddenly, a small light glimmered in the darkness, catching her optic. Arcee wiped away the tears and got up, walking towards her desk where the glimmer was seen. Sitting there, on top of Jack's letter was a small pendant, far too small for an Autobot to wear, however it was hers, given to her by Jack during their trip to San Francisco.

Arcee's optics started to water again, remembering when that had happened. Jack had taken her to a hidden beach, one that he had spent countless hours looking for just to surprise her. But that wasn't all he did, as while they had been watching the sun go down, he revealed the small pendant box he had carried with him all this way. Arcee remembered how happy she was, tears of joy streaming down her cheek, and how Jack was there to wipe them away with a smile.

"No matter what happens, you will always be an Autobot on the inside" he had said. "My, Autobot."

At that moment, Arcee knew her choice. Jack was right, she is an Autobot, and will always be an Autobot. And even though she would regret this forever, she knew that if Jack were here, he'd want her to do this as well.

"I love you Jack, I love you so much" she said softly with a small tear trickling down her face. She placed the picture frame on the desk, rubbing Jack's cheek with her finger. "But I have to let you go. I have to move on. I am an Autobot, always your Autobot, but still an Autobot."

She began to cry again, knowing what she would have to do in order to move on. She had to read Jack's letter; the last words she will ever hear from him again and the last piece of him she had left. While the letter may have been comments to everyone else, it represented so much more for her. It represented Jack as a whole, and as long as she didn't read it, he would still be with her. But now, she knew that if she truly was devoted to becoming an Autobot once more and to fight for everything she believes in, she would have to give up what she held most dear to her. And that, is what pained her the most.

…

The Sun began to set as Arcee walked off the lift, the vast desert looking as beautiful as the first day she had seen this planet. To think, way back then, she was alone on this strange planet, and now she was alone once again.

Arcee sat down, holding her legs towards her chest. She had cried enough to want to cry again, but sometimes, she just couldn't hold it in.

"I'm sorry Jack" she whispered sadly, her voice being carried with the wind as she opened the letter.

 _Arcee, my beautiful, beautiful Arcee,_

 _I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for breaking my promise of never leaving you, I'm sorry for yelling at you, I'm sorry for never being there when you need me most. I'm sorry for all those times where I made you cry, and I'm sorry for ignoring you when you needed my comfort the most. But most of all, I'm sorry for never being the person to make you happy._

 _Arcee, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Ever since the first day I met you, I always felt this warmth inside while around you. Even when you didn't want anything to do with me, I knew, deep down in my heart, that we were something special. Either partners fighting together, or friends to keep each other company, we were meant to be together Arcee, and I regret not_

 _Every time I see you, your face lights up the darkness inside. Your smile, so gentle and loving, always brought the best out of me. Your eyes, like the calm ocean waves, would always have me deeply lost inside them. The feeling of your lips against mine was like having a new life being breathed into me. You are so beautiful Arcee. You are the girl of my dreams which had become reality._

 _I love you Arcee, oh God, I love you so much. I'm sorry for never saying it, and I knew that it hurt you when I didn't, but I just want you to know that I loved you since the beginning. I love you with all my heart and soul, and even if we're separated, my heart will always long for you._

 _But what I loved most about you, was your personality. On the outside, you may seem serious and uncaring, but in truth, you are so much more. You are gentle and loving, always putting others before yourself. Generous, playful, and kind, all things in which I fell in love with. You bring out the best in people, and I was lucky enough to be one fo those people. Please Arcee, never change. Never change who you are, no matter what anyone says, it is your personality which separates you from everyone else. I love you Arcee, and you alone._

 _I'm sorry it had to end this way Arcee, I truly am. I never meant to hurt you, even when we were arguing, I wasn't angry at you. I was angry at myself. Angry at how I let someone as amazing as you slip right out of my life. All our moments spent with each other, all the times we kissed and shared emotions, they are all memories now. I love you, but I had to do it. I had to leave._

 _Please Arcee, don't come looking for me. I know you'll do it anyways, but please, I beg you to move on. Leaving was hard enough, in fact my heart is broken right now just thinking of being away from you, but if I find out that you are suffering from my shadow, I can't live on any further. All I've ever wanted for you was to be happy, because when you're happy, I'm happy as well. And I know you believed that you were your happiest when I was with you, but truthfully, I was just an obstacle in your way. Move on, forget about me, please. I love you and I know you love me, but if you hold on to the burden of losing me, our love will never be proper._

 _My last message to you Arcee, is that I will return. Regardless of what I said, I will come back eventually. Not to return to my old life, not even for my family. I will return for you, to see you again, because my heart aches to see you again. Until then, I need time to find who I am. I need to know who the real Jackson Darby is, for both our sakes._

 _You will always be my first motorcycle Arcee, always. You will always be my little two-wheeler, whether you're human or Cybertronian, you are mine and I will never let you go. But even if I will never let go, you need to move on. Be the Autobot you were meant to be, fight for your beliefs, fight for me. Never give up and you will find happiness, and when the time is right, I will return. I will return for you._

 _I love you Arcee._

Arcee's spark shattered into a million pieces. All her emotions caught up with her, and she cried. How long she cried, she didn't know. In fact, she didn't care for that matter. She would cry for as long as she needed because she knew this would be the last time she would ever cry for her Jack.

The Sun set and the stars came out, millions of them littering the night sky with their bright lights. They seemed to be watching her, almost sympathetic for the mourning two-wheeler.

Arcee held the letter right against her spark, imaging that it was Jack instead of his last words. Her tears turned into sobs, as her crying slowly died down. Just like her relationship, it slowly began to disappear, until it all came to an end.

"Goodbye... Jack. My love." She cried to herself, hearing the wind pick up her voice and carry it across the land.

"Goodbye…"

…

Arcee tossed and turned, but no matter what she did, she couldn't fall asleep. She felt like she had lost a large chunk of her life today, one that she may never get back.

She needed comfort, someone to hold her until she felt whole again. However the one person who could do that has left her, and that is why the void felt larger the more she thought of him.

Suddenly, her body moved on her own as she quietly got up and slipped out her dorm into the hallway. She walked down the corridor until she reached a room on the far side. Knocking first, she opened the door and walked in, pausing in the door way.

The red Autobot resting on the berth shifted and slowly opened his optics.

"Arcee? What are you doing here?" Sideswipe asked, rubbing his optics.

"Swipey, can you come sleep with me?" she asked quietly.

"What?"

"Please, I need someone to comfort me. I lost so much today, and I… and I…"

Sideswipe saw that she was about to break down and swiftly got up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, it's ok Arcee. I'm here. I'll stay with you tonight."

The two-wheeler nodded and led him to her dorm. A few moments later, she was lying next to Sideswipe on her berth. To the red Autobot's surprise, she cuddled up against him, resting her head on his chest as she slowly drifted away. Not wanting to disrupt her, he just allowed her to stay like that, falling asleep himself.

…


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Jack shifted and steadied the barrel, shuffling the gun around so it would fit comfortably against his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he peered into his scope, lining up the crosshairs with the front sight. He changed his grip on the trigger and placed his other hand against the butt of the rifle. His non-firing hand balled into a fist, raising the back end, then relaxed, lowering it. He practiced this a few times, getting a good feel of the sniper's position and its weight.

He took a deep breath and paused, letting his heart rate slow to a minimum. A marksman's breathing is his most important asset. Too fast and the breaths would affect his aim. Too slow and his mind would focus on breathing. The perfect breathing is when it syncs with the heartbeat, allowing the entire body to relax and the brain to be attentive and focused.

When he was ready, he closed his eyes. He didn't need to see where all his targets were to be able to hit them. He needed to be able to sense them. He gripped the stock tightly as he imagined the sniper being a part of him. It's every marksman's philosophy to _be_ the gun, rather than _use_ the gun. That's exactly what he followed as he prepped himself.

Five targets. Five shots. Five seconds.

Jack's eyes shot open as he quickly took aim.

Bang. One down.

He swiftly moved to the next target, not skipping a beat.

Bang. Two down.

Bang. Three down. Bang. Four down.

The final target sat almost 500 meters away from him. The denseness of the forest slightly blocked his view as he took aim. No matter, his sights were set, and not amount of vegetation would stop him.

Bang. Five down.

Jack breathed, resting the sniper down on the ground. He looked up at the five hit targets: dense circular shaped rocks, placed around the forest at different distances. He saw the first rock still smoking from the blast as the energon bullet still hasn't settled down yet.

The teen propped himself up off his stomach, dusting off the dirt on his clothes. As he stood up, Carter walked over, casually tossing him one of the targets. Jack caught it with one hand, checking it over and seeing a hole that went straight through. He traced it with his finger, sensing the heat from when the blast pasted through.

"Believe it or not, that was the 500 meter one" the man stated seriously. Slowly a smirk started to appear on his face. "And you didn't believe me when I said precision makes a bullet more powerful."

"Congrats, you proved me wrong." Jack tossed the rock back to him.

Carter caught it swiftly, tossing it up into the air a few times before dropping it and letting it roll onto the ground.

"I will say, your aim incredible and your reaction time is flawless. Next time, I'll be putting them another 200 back and maybe have some moving as well."

"Great, looking forward to it."

Jack walked over to the sniper rifle, blowing off some dirt that had gotten on the barrel. He inspected the main frame of the gun and was startled when he saw his green eyes peeking out from his reflection.

He peered at his reflection, staring into his once blue pupils, now an unusual hue of green. At first glance, they would seem like any green eyes. However, after looking closer, Jack could see how full they were. It was as if it was the colour of an aura, rather than human pupils.

The green eyes were only the beginning of the changes he's had since his transformation, however they were one of the few physical ones. Other than the change of eye colour, Jack had gained Agent 000's enhancements. He was stronger, and faster, quick to react and light on his feet. His powers were even greater than the agent's previous skill set, almost as if he had absorbed both Agent 000, and the darkness together.

Speaking of the agent, the transformation had seemed to affect him as well. He still resided inside Jack's sub-consciousness and was able to communicate with him, but the biggest difference was that he could no longer take control of Jack's body. When they had first discovered this, Agent 000 merely brushed it off and said that he didn't really care since he didn't get out much anyways. He also reminded him that he was the one who agreed to it, and that he accepts the consequences of his choice. Nevertheless, Jack still felt sympathetic towards the agent. Gaining control is one of the only ways Agent 000 can have his freedom, and now, Jack had taken that freedom away from him. At least they were still able to move around freely inside his sub-consciousness when he fell asleep.

Aside from the pros, there were some cons as well. Despite the darkness no longer being inside of him, Jack had in fact, absorbed that as well. His personality had become darker and his humorous side had disappeared. Though Carter occasionally tried to get him laughing again, the best he could do was crack a smile.

The teen had accepted his new personality quite quickly. The main reason for this is more to do with his commitments. His goal was to find who he was, who the "new" Jack was. After the transformation, he realized that if fate meant for him to become this new being, which he deemed "Stealth", then his personality was also his own.

Jack lowered the sniper rifle, throwing it over his shoulder as he tugged the strap. Carter began walking back to their campsite, with him following close behind. He looked at the man, closely as they trudged back in silence. Jack was amazed at how easily Carter had adjusted and accepted this entire situation. Sure, the man had come into contact with the Decepticons before, so that might be a reason why. However, Jack was puzzled at his knowledge on psychology and the fact that it was Carter who guided him through his transformation. His point was further proven when he had asked him to train him, in which the man agreed without hesitation. It was as if Carter was always meant to be his mentor, and jack was the only one who didn't know about it.

The teen shook his head, dismissing his questions immediately. There had been far too many coincidences for Carter to have planned this. Besides, regardless of his past, Jack was glad to have him around. The man was his friend, ally, and now mentor. He taught him shooting techniques and fighting tactics, some even Agent 000 had never heard of before. Every day, the two of them would spend countless hours training. Whether it be target practice, such as today, or hand-to-hand combat, Carter was showing him everything he had learned from his days in the army.

Jack's mind went back to reality, as the two walked through the forest. Birds were tweeting in the distance and the sound of rushing water could be heard close by. Leaves and rocks crunched underneath every footstep, indicating the fall weather approaching. Jack stopped and took a moment to observe the tress up above. The orange, red, and yellow leaves mesmerized him as fall colours were shown everywhere. He never saw it before, but only now did he realize just how beautiful the season of fall was. The colours, the environment, even the fall air he breathed felt nice. He stood there with his eyes closed for a few more moments, not cracking a smile but feeling the autumn breeze against his skin before jogging forward to catch up with Carter.

 _So…_ , came Agent 000's voice through his head.

 _So._

 _I've been wondering. Now that the darkness is gone, and you've finally gotten some peace in your life, are you thinking of going back?_

 _I'm far from getting peace in my life. Yes, the darkness is no longer living in our sub-consciousness, but it's not gone. I absorbed the darkness when I absorbed your powers, so now, I am the darkness. You can say the darkness is gone, but its not, so I am not at peace._

 _I take it that you're not thinking about going back._

 _No._

A moment of silence was shared. Jack's lack of emotion with his words further portrayed his now serious personality, and he could tell the agent didn't like it.

 _Jeez, when did you become so 'fun' to talk to?_ Agent 000 said sarcastically.

 _Since the transformation,_ he responded plainly.

Just like that, their conversation ended. Recently, all their 'talks' seemed to end awkwardly. It's not that there wasn't anything to talk about, it's just seems like Jack's new personality and Agent 000's personality were no longer the dynamic duo it used to be.

However, the agent did mention something that has been on his mind lately. One of the major reasons Jack agreed to go through with his transformation was for the hope of going home and seeing Arcee again. Now that he has become this new being, however, he knew that he still couldn't return. He didn't know the extent of his powers, nonetheless how to control all of it. Though he was stronger and faster than Agent 000, his lack of experience made him very limited in what he could and could not do. Furthermore, since he was now the darkness that once resided inside him, there's no telling what could sprout up in the future. Jack's already warned Carter about this as soon as he realized it, but his warning was more so for himself than for the man.

A few minutes later, they reached their campsite. It was about noon and they had already had their meals prepared before training. Jack grabbed a seat on one of the logs, drinking some water from a canister, while Carter sat on another one closer to their belongings.

At some point, Carter noticed something with their gear and proceeded in grabbing something from Jack's bag. The teen watched attentively, unsure of whether he should stop him or not. Since his transformation, the man had already seen his things inside his bag. Jack even showed him the portal groundbridge in which Carter took a particular interest in. However, even though all the secrets that were once his private belonging had been revealed, Jack felt uneasy seeing Carter rummage through his stuff.

Out form his bag, Carter pulled out a familiar piece of technology and began inspecting it. The scanner, as it was, still looked the same and has had no changes made since the beginning. The only difference now from before was a small blinking light on the top.

"Jack, why is this blinking?" Carter asked, pointing at the flashing light.

"I set up the light to go off whenever the Autobots moved positions" he answered.

The man looked at the scanner again before turning it on. The screen lit up as a digital globe appeared. Carter flicked his finger against the screen to rotate the globe, stopping the rotating Earth when it landed on the US. Sure enough, he counted eight blue dots located in Jasper, Nevada, meaning four had gone on a mission of some sort.

Carter un-zoomed and looked for the stray Autobot signals, locating them in a region of South Africa. He also noticed almost a dozen purple dots in the same area, two of them with name tags of "Knock Out" and "Dreadwing".

"Looks like your pals are about to get into a fight" the man said, handing Jack the scanner.

Jack looked at it closely, as if he was considering something. Carter saw his eyes trail from the scanner, then to his bag, then back to the scanner. He watched the teen watch the screen until he realized what he was considering.

"You're thinking about teleporting over there aren't you?"

Jack looked up and placed then handed the scanner over to the man. Then, he stood up and began rummaging through his bag.

"I'm not thinking about going. I _am_ going."

The teen could feel Carter's eyes following him as he moved around. He slipped on his black hoodie and grabbed the portable groundbridge and his sniper rifle. He inspected the weapon once more, even though he had just used it a minute ago, and then threw the rifle over his shoulder as he tightened the strap.

"So is this why you asked me to train you?" Carter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup" he answered plainly, before looking directly at the man. "If you're thinking about stopping me, don't bother because you can't."

Carter raised his arms. "Wasn't going to try. There's a saying that we have in the army: you're never out of the battle."

Jack nodded his head and took a few steps towards the forest. He pointed the portable groundbridge outwards, turning it on. He began to activate the bridge when he realized he didn't get the coordinates yet.

"Negative 30.8 degrees north, positive 21.49 degrees east", Carter said swiftly, as if he knew exactly what he was going to say before he even said it.

Jack turned around and nodded again, although this time a small smile appeared on the edge of his mouth. He plugged in the coordinates and power up the groundbridge, a human-sized vortex appearing in front of him.

Carter watched the teen casually walk into the swirling green portal, disappearing into thin air. A second later, the portal also disappeared, and then all was silent once again.

…

Jack landed on the ground as the groundbridge closed behind him. He heard the echo of blaster fire and quickly ran forwards, reaching a rock overlooking the escarpment. He was located at the top of a large canyon, looking down at the gorge from almost 500 feet. The weather was warm in South Africa, as the boiling sun beat down against his skin. His body had already become accustom to Canada's cold climate so the sudden change of temperature made him feel weird, although he didn't much care.

The teen took another look around the vast desert, similar to the desert near Jasper, yet so much farther away. Once he knew that he wouldn't be spotted, he began setting up the sniper rifle, using the rock as a stand so he could get a better aim looking downwards.

Jack looked through his scope, scanning the area as more blaster fire echoed through the gorge. Eventually he spotted them; four Autobots running towards him with Decepticons right on their trail.

He zoomed in further to see which ones they were, recognizing three of the four Autobots as Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead, with Knock Out and Dreadwing leading a group of Vehicons right on their tail. Jack looked closely at the unknown Autobot, silver in colour and as agile as Arcee. He acknowledged him as Jazz, one of the newer Autobots that had just recently been added to the database.

 _Nice to know they did get reinforcements after all._ The teen thought to himself. He watched as Bulkhead stopped and turned around, firing two powerful blasts that immediately off-lined the first two Vehicons it hit. The large wrecker than quickly followed the others, trying his best to avoid the incoming blaster fire.

 _Also nice to see Bulkhead up on his feet again_ , the agent mentioned.

 _Yeah, I didn't think the lug nut would be up so soon._

Jack decided it was time for him to jump in instead of watching from the side. He quickly took aim at one of the Vehicons, lining up his crosshairs before pulling the trigger. A split second later, the Vehicon collapsed on the ground with a blast that had gone right between his optics.

Suddenly, he heard Ultra Magnus yelling with two servos pressed against his ear as he and the other Autobots stopped and turned to fight.

"Ratchet, we are in need of assistance. It was a trap and we are running out of running room!" Jack heard through the echoes of the canyon.

It just so happened that while the Autobots were calling in reinforcements, it seemed the Decepticons had the same idea.

Jack listened in as Knock Out yelled out, "Primus sake Sideways, just send some more Vehicons! I thought you were learning from Soundwave about the ship's controls! My paintjob is getting ruined out here because you don't know how to operate a groundbridge!"

He couldn't help but chuckle under his breath at the doctor's exclamations. Knock Out always did seem to care more about his paintjob than his fellow Decepticons. Jack took aim and shot down two more Vehicons before blaster fire slowly started to die down.

A moment later, both sides were looking at each other, blasters raised, but no movements whatsoever. At first, Jack was confused over what they were doing, but slowly realized what they were waiting for.

As his realization hit, so did the groundbridges. Sure enough, two vortexes appeared, one behind the Autobots and one behind the Decepticons. Both Cybertronian groups looked from one groundbridge to the next, their confused looks become even more confused.

"Which one's ours?" A Vehicon asked, earning a hard elbow from Knock Out.

Of course, Ultra Magnus had never experienced anything like this before and just went with his gut. Ordering the Autobots into the nearest groundbridge. Jazz followed behind the lieutenant, but before they were able to jump in, Bulkhead and Bumblebee stopped them from continuing.

"Sir, you don't want to do that" Bulkhead started as his optics shifted from the groundbridge to the Decepticons.

"And why is that soldier?"

Though Jack didn't understand it, Bumblebee began beeping quickly and clearly, probably explaining to the two newer Autobots about their previous experience with the Shadow Dimension. As the teen looked on, he could see the Decepticons also listening in on the scout as they too were confused about the situation.

"So you say that the combined energy of two groundbridges in close range create a portal to another dimension?" Dreadwing spoke up after Bumblebee's rant. "Ridiculous!"

The Decepticon lieutenant raised his blaster canon at Bumblebee, the sound of it charging up being echoed through the canyon.

Dreadwing was about to fire upon the defenceless Autobots when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Knock Out sheepishly tapping his servos together.

"Uh, Dreadwing, maybe we should hold off on the blaster fire for now…"

"And why is that? Have the Autobots convinced your pitiful mind otherwise?"

"No, no, I'm still a Decepticon. Just, uh, as a scientist, the possibility of a separate dimension is not impossible, and a blast from any one of our blasters could trigger a sudden reaction… and ruin my paintjob…" The doctor explained muttering the last part under his breath.

Dreadwing seemed to be considering this information, looking from Knock Out to the Autobots, then back to Knock Out. Eventually he complied and swung his blaster over his shoulder, the large canon transforming into a handle on his back.

"Very well Autobots, a temporary truce will be aligned until further advancements." He said, stepping forward with his hands up.

At that moment, Jack aimed his sniper at the large Decepticon. The crosshairs of the sniper rifle lined up directly with the top of his head as his hand gripped the stock. He could so easily end the lieutenant's life with just a simple pull of a trigger, although a little feeling in his gut prevented him from doing so. If Knock Out was right, and just the smallest imbalance of energy entered the area, then there's no telling what would happen. Slowly, he began lowering the sniper, cursing himself for ruining a perfect shot.

"Alright Bulk, we've put the toys away. Not what do we do?" He heard Jazz ask the wrecker.

"Huh, I'm not quite sure" Bulkhead replied, scratching his head. "I guess we just wait until one of the groundbridges disappears."

"Then our truce will last until one groundbridge remains!" Dreadwing proclaimed form the other side. Bumblebee was fed up with the Decepticon but was stopped when Ultra Magnus placed a hand on his shoulder. The Autobot lieutenant nodded in response, then gave the scout a look saying "don't bother".

Minutes pasted and neither side, nor groundbridge made any significant movements. Both alignments, as well as Jack from above, waited patiently for something to happen. The teen once again considered taking the easy shot, but then the concern for the Autobot's safety ran through his mind and stopped the idea from forming again.

Jack frowned as he tapped his sniper and inspected the barrel. He had shot a total of three times today, each time resulting in a kill, although when he first had the idea of coming here, he was expecting far more. He looked down at the Autobots and wondered if he should reveal himself to them. He had already been gone for months now, and although that wasn't really a long time, already did he almost not recognize the Autobots. Immediately his mind drifted off to the darkness that plagued his life. Even though he and Agent 000 had chased it out of his body, he could feel his actions being influenced by its power. It was a strange feeling, unlike when he was fighting against other minds in his sub-consciousness. Instead, he was controlling himself, his own mind, which had long become a different part of his body.

Minutes pasted and finally something did indeed happen, although it wasn't what neither Autobot, nor Decepticon was thinking. Instead of having one of the groundbridges disappear, another one appeared at the division line dividing the two sides. All of them, including Jack, were extremely confused at who could have possibly gained control of a groundbridge.

Suddenly, out jumped a lanky grey and red Decepticon with his blasters at the ready. At first he didn't know what was going on, but suddenly he realized that he was in the middle of two very angry sides.

"Starscream!" they yelled out in unison, startling the ex-con.

Starscream saw the very unpleasant faces and quickly scrambled away towards the escarpment of the canyon.

"Traitor!" Dreadwing boomed, taking two hefty steps forward. He remembered disposing of the 'con a while ago, only to learn that it was only a clone of the real thing. However, now that the original one has finally shown his face, he could finally get his revenge. "You will be punished for what you have done to my brother, Skyquake!"

"Hehe, Dreadwing!... Surely, you must be mistaken…" Starscream said nervously, backing up slowly as he held his hands out. "I… I don't know of a Skyquake…"

"Liar!" The Decepticon lieutenant bellowed, scaring the ex-con into hiding behind a large boulder.

All of sudden, Dreadwing felt a change in the atmosphere, and so did the others. Jack watched as the Autobots and Decepticons, with the exception of Starscream, began slowly rising into the air. Not too high, but probably a good feet off the ground.

Then, all three groundbridges began slowly moving towards each other, as the Starscream's middle vortex acted as a magnet to the others, with the Autobots and Decepticons trapped in the middle. Jack looked to see Bulkhead and Bumblebee struggle to get back to the ground, but to no avail. He also saw Ultra Magnus try to activate his sword to dig into the ground, but his arms didn't budge.

All of a sudden, the three vortexes collapsed on each other and a bright orange light blinded Jack for a moment. After a second to blink and regain his vision, he looked back at what had happened. In place of where the Cybertronians used to stand was a large orange vortex, similar to a groundbridge in every way possible except the colour.

Jack scanned the area for any sign of the Autobots, but found none. He looked back at the groundbridge, squinting so he could get a better look at it. The first thing he wondered was where it led, and was tempted to jump in and see for himself. Of course, he wasn't that stupid, and instead began to wonder what had happened.

After a moment of pondering, the only logical explanation was that when the three groundbridges collapsed, the Autobots and Decepticons were probably sucked into the new vortex. Where that vortex led? Only experience told Jack that it was probably a gate way to the Shadow Dimension. He didn't know much on the science behind groundbridges, or even how it happened the first time, but he did remember Ratchet mention that the two groundbridges had created an unstable portal to the Shadow Dimension. It made sense if _three_ groundbridges would create a stable portal.

The teen zoomed in with his scope to see if he could get a closer view of the newly discovered portal when a sound from below shifted his view.

Starscream grumbled as he pushed aside rocks that had fallen on him during the light blast. Once he was up, the ex-con took one look at the orange groundbridge and immediately turned to focus on it.

"Hmm? And what is this?" he asked himself.

Starscream circled the vortex twice, inspecting it closely but didn't dare touch it. After all, the last time he had encountered an unfamiliar groundbridge, Skyquake's zombified arm had shot out and seized him by the throat.

"Interesting…" he said, scratching his chin. Starscream grabbed a small rock on the ground and lightly tossed it into the groundbridge, jumping back and protecting his head with his arms in case of an explosion or something. Slowly, one optic shot open as he realized the stone had passed through like any other groundbridge.

Just like that, Jack's hypothesis was proven correct, but it seemed like Starscream had found out the truth as well. Jack watched the ex-con break a smirk, then a small cackle, and soon after, began laughing hysterically.

"Who knew such misfortune could lead to this discovery?" Starscream laughed out loud. Suddenly, Jack saw his face bright up and an even larger smirk appear.

The teen saw Starscream walk back over to the boulder he had used as cover and pulled out a remote. At first, Jack didn't know why he decided to bring a remote of all things, but then he realized that Starscream had gotten here by groundbridge and made the connection quickly. He wondered what he was going to do with it, but luckily Starscream's monologue answered his question for him.

"So because of the three groundbridges being in close proximity, it created a stable one that leads to the Shadow Dimension. Of course the Autobots and Decepticons are there right now so it wouldn't be a wise move to go exploring just yet… however…" Starscream raised the groundbridge remote and aimed it at the orange groundbridge. "If I were to close my groundbridge, the entire vortex would rupture, closing the gateway and trapping the Autobots and Decepticons in the Shadow Dimension for eternity!"

"Scrap" Jack muttered as he had just heard the Starscream's plans. He couldn't let Starscream trap his former friends in another dimension, even if it meant removing some Decepticons from the picture as well. That was his family, and though he left them and essentially betrayed them, he wouldn't let this happen.

As if in slow-mo, Jack quickly took aim as Starscream lifted the remote towards the groundbridge. As the ex-con's servo was inches away from pressing the button, Jack fired.

The sound of the shot echoed through the canyon as it made a direct hit with Starscream's arm. The former Decepticon dropped the remote, yelling in pain as he clutched his arm.

"What? They have a sniper set up?" he yelled in frustration.

Before Jack could let off another shot, Starscream beat him to it. He had misjudged Starscream's experience in the field and his shot had revealed his position. Jack couldn't do anything but watch the two missiles fired from Starscream's arm crash into the escarpment beneath him.

The ground shook as the explosion rocked the canyon walls. Jack, along with his side of the cliff, came hurdling down. Jack helplessly tried to latch onto something, but there was nothing to latch onto. His sniper rifle, firmly strapped across his shoulder, dug into his back and Jack felt a wave of pain go up his back as he hit a large rock.

From five hundred feet up, Jack wasn't sure when he'd stop. His shoulder smashed against a boulder as a sharp rock flew by and cut him on the forehead. Another jagged rock fell from the top and painfully inserted itself into Jack's shoulder, making him wince in pain.

Jack hit the wall twice more before rolling down the rest of the way. The barrel of the sniper landed another shot to his spine and his forehead took a beating from falling rocks. His shoulder, still impaled with the sharp rock, was pummelled by falling stones.

Eventually Jack hit a ledge, bad shoulder first, as his rolling finally came to an end. He groaned, trying to stand up, but all he could feel was pain. His body ached, his head throbbed, and he tasted blood in his mouth. The only thing that had probably taken the least damage was his sniper rifle, probably because his back acted as a shield for the weapon.

The teen stopped for a moment to regain his bearings. He was still seeing stars, but managed to roll himself off his back and onto his side. He was still above Starscream as the ex-con was scanning the area for anymore dangers. Starscream had obviously not spotted him and he was grateful for that.

Jack looked at his damaged shoulder and winced when he saw the damage. Not only was it blooded and bruised, but a good three inches of the jagged rock stuck out from his arm. He laid his head back down for a moment, preparing for an immense amount of pain as he used his other hand to grab the rock. Jack clenched his teeth so tightly, he swore that brook some of them, as he slowly pulled the rock out of his shoulder.

He took one look at the rock before chucking it over the ledge, breathing heavily as he felt his shoulder throbbing in pain and relief. Still on the ground, Jack grabbed a cloth he had in his pocket and tightly wrapped it around the wound. He struggled not to make any sound when his finger glided by the cut, wincing from his own touch.

Technically he's been injured far worse than this before. He's been shot at, cut open, and have had broken bones, but all those times had been when Agent 000 was in control. Now that he was now "Stealth", pain was something he'd have to get used to. And that, would take a while.

As Jack finished off wrapping his injury, he felt a few little stones hit his back. Confused, he turned to look upwards when his eyes widened. It wasn't over yet.

Some rocks had stopped on another ledge above him, however, the ledge was very thin and Jack could see that it was not going to hold all that weight. From this position, he couldn't move at all, nevertheless get out of the way in time.

A second later, he was once again proven correct as the ledge gave way and the remaining rocks came tumbling down. Jack shielded his bad arm, taking a boulder to the gut as he was buried alive.

The last thing he saw was the Autobots emerging from the groundbridge, startling Starscream as they shot at him and the other Decepticons coming out as well. He couldn't help but smile, knowing that his actions had saved his friends.

A rock came down and nailed him in the head as he lost consciousness.

Then it was dark.

…

"So, to recap. You stopped Starscream from trapping the Autobots in the Shadow Dimension by shooting him in the arm. In return, he caused a landslide in which you dislocated your shoulder, impaled by a rock, given a minor concussion, bruising your spine, and completely injuring yourself all over."

"That sounds about right" Jack answered, wincing when the man dabbed a wet cloth on his wound.

Carter exhaled. "Well, I guess I better get good at injuries because you'll be getting a lot of these."

Jack nodded, closing his eyes. He wasn't sure how long he was knocked out for, but all he knew was that as soon as he regained consciousness, he was gasping for air. With the strength that he was surprised he still had, he managed to free himself from the boulders, avoiding further injury to his arm. By then, the Autobots and Decepticons had left and the sun was setting in South Africa. Once he was free, he forced himself down the canyon walls where he activated the portable groundbridge and limped through.

All in all, this experience didn't go to a waste. Jack had learned a couple of things today; first and foremost, he had to get used to pain. Secondly, Stealth could handle himself in the field, something Agent 000 had actually graduated upon their return. And finally, the most important thing of all, he needed to learn how to shoot, and then move positions swiftly. He had been lucky today; not breaking his neck while falling down and not being spotted while rolling down the escarpment, but next time, he might not end up walking away again.

Jack opened his eyes and saw that Carter was just finishing up with wrapping his arm with gauze tape. He checked his arm and could feel the wound slowly healing underneath the tape. He had noticed that it healed rather quickly than usually, probably another benefit of having enhancements.

He turned to Carter and nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem Jack. So what was it that you wanted to practice? Shooting in motion and changing positions?" The man scratched his chin. "I think I might have something to help with that."

"Good" Jack answered, picking up his rifle, wincing slightly when he used his bad arm. "Let's get going."

Carter was about to stop him when he saw the determination on the teen's face. It was at that moment that he realized there was a far deeper reason for Jack wanting to go back into battle. He watched as Jack walked by him, slowly testing his arm out as he gripped and un gripped the sniper's stock.

Carter quietly nodded his head, a small smile of admiration appearing on his face.

The teen may have the power and body of Stealth, but his will and mind is still Jack's.

…

 **Author's Note: Strange way of ending it I know. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I've been asked to make these a bit longer, but that requires me to spend more time on writing. Be sure to follow/favorite to get an update whenever I publish a new chapter, and reviews couldn't hurt either. :P**

 **Also, I notice that a couple of you don't like the idea of Arcee and Sideswipe. For now, bear with me. Truth be told, this is more like an Arcee/Jack Tragedy but alas, there is no category for that. Stick with me here and you'll see that it really isn't an Arcee/Sideswipe romance either. It's still an Arcee/Jack Romance, just a different genre of romance. You feel? You know there's a saying, and I forgot what it is, but it's something like "For two people to become closer, they need to be separated first." If that's not a quote, then I'm just stupid, but I'm almost positive I've heard something like that before.**

 **Once again, it won't hurt to leave a review to express your view on the story. If you have any more concerns, send me a PM and I'll explain it a little bit more.**

 **Thanks for Reading :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Sideswipe trudged through the tranquil hallways of the Autobot base. His gears squealed and ached as he stretched his arms out, feeling his knobs and wires pulling as he loosed up the tightness in his systems. Having just got out of a training session with Ultra Magnus, he was ready to simply sit down and rest his optics.

The past weeks have been hell for him and the others. Battle after battle, day after day, never did it seem like the odds were ever in their favour. Even with the large number of Autobots on Earth, it seemed as if Megatron's army only got bigger as well. Not only that but only recently did they find out about the arrival of the Combaticons, not to mention the addition of Barricade and Sideways.

The biggest issues with battles on Earth were the amount of new rules that they had to follow. While orders were nothing new, the rules Optimus implemented forced the four newer Autobots to change their fighting style. No longer could they be as reckless as they were on Cybertron or Velocitron, as human safety was the number one priority in any scenario. Furthermore, everything decision and strategy had to be questioned about whether or not it would draw attention to them. Sideswipe understood why they had these rules and regulations, but sometimes he felt as though he was being confined to the secrecy of their race on a foreign planet. He even began thinking about whether life on Velocitron would be easier than life on Earth, although he didn't dare bring that up with anyone.

The red bot continued his way through the corridors, the gears in his legs squeaking as he took one step after another. He was tired, sore, bored, and confused. Why he was confused, you might ask? Well the answer is quiet simple really.

Never, under any circumstances, did he ever think that he'd end up being in a relationship with Arcee. Never. Even as sparklings, he remembered what humans call a "crush" on the two-wheeler, but he eventually let his attraction die down as he realized Arcee was more of a sister to him than a possible partner.

Now, however, his relation with his childhood friend seemed to take a very sharp turn. Ever since the night where she had asked him to accompany her as she slept, all of a sudden, he was caught in the middle of a rising relationship. One where he wasn't sure if he wanted to be in. Sure, he cared for her deeply and always tried to make her happy, but becoming a couple? That was something he did not see coming.

He remembered hearing of Arcee's previous partner: the small human named Jack. From what he's heard, Jack and Arcee was an inseparable match. Both of them were always together and happy as well, as it truly seemed as if their bond would never be broken. He recalled being quite surprised when he heard that Jack had managed to break through Arcee's tough outer shell, and he began to wonder what kind of person is this "Jack". The stories he's been told about have depicted him as a gentle, loving, and courageous teen, always looking out for others before himself and unfortunately been caught by misfortunes grasps. But even so, why would someone so caring just get up and leave his partner without so much as a "goodbye"? That is what puzzled him the most.

As for Arcee, Sideswipe knew that she didn't handle Jack's disappearance too well. In fact, he had seen a little bit of that in his first week or so on Earth. But now, all of a sudden, she seemed to change, as if she had completely moved on from the shadow of Jack's abandonment. Although, that begs the question: what made her believe that he would be a better replacement than Jack?

As much as Arcee seemed to have moved on, he can tell that she still holds on to her memories with her previous boyfriend very close to her spark. While the others don't see it that often anymore, Sideswipe knows that the two-wheeler occasionally goes up top with either a few pieces of paper or some other human items. He didn't dare ask her what she was doing up there, and though he's pretty sure the others know, he wouldn't bring it up in front of everyone else.

Continuously, though the items remain to be a mystery to him, he understands that Arcee treasure them even higher than her own personal belongings. Just the other day, as he was moving his stuff over to Arcee's quarters, he had stumbled upon them when he opened her top drawer. By instinct, he had looked them over and recognized mostly some human clothes, a couple pictures, a small pendant, a couple documents of paper, and the strange letter he's seen her with many times before. There was more stuff in there but he didn't get a chance to figure out what they were since he heard Arcee enter into the room. Knowing her temper, he had carefully turned around, noticing her wide-eyes look and expected the worst. Surprisingly, she simply stood there for a few moments before gently asking him to leave. Of course, he obliged, but he couldn't help but notice the faint tone of sadness in her voice. Now the drawer is locked, although it wasn't as if he was still curious about what was inside. He respected Arcee's privacy and understood that if she truly wanted to tell him about it, she would have done so already.

All these questions, and no one to answer them. Sometimes, he felt like Arcee's sudden attraction towards him wasn't an act of love, but an effort to fill the gaping hole Jack had left behind. Of course, looking at the past weeks, his theory may very well be right, but he wasn't about to go and tell Arcee off. Though he hates being used, he knew that Arcee's intentions aren't meant to hurt him, rather to help her cope with the loss of someone important. In a sense, he should be grateful for the two-wheeler's affection. It showed that she valued their friendship highly and that she trusted him in her times of need.

Sideswipe leaned against the walls of the corridor, closing his optics for some rest. He sighed as he crossed his arms and enjoyed the quietness of the vacant hallway.

All of a sudden, he heard a pair of large footsteps walking by. At first, he suspected them to be Bulkhead's, making his way over to his quarters, but he was surprised to hear the footsteps stop in front of him. He slowly opened his optics to see Optimus standing in front of him.

"Hello Sideswipe" the Prime greeted. "How are you this afternoon?"

He scratched his head. "I'm fine Optimus. Tired if anything, but I'm doing alright. How's the progress going with the Star Saber?"

"Not as of late. It seems as though the Star Saber will no longer activate to my touch, as it did during our brief battle with Megatron. Ratchet is in the midst of running tests to inspect any damages, however if I know the Primes who proceeded me, the Star Saber will only activate when it is needed."

Sideswipe nodded and an awkward moment of silence followed. Though they have been friends for centuries now, there didn't seem to be much to talk about.

"So, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" the red bot asked.

"Indeed, there is a matter I would like to speak with you on. I do not mean to interfere with your privacy; however, I've noticed a building relationship between you and Arcee. Am I correct?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so…" he answered awkwardly. "One night, she came over to my room and asked me to sleep with her, and I guess it just built on from there."

"I see." Optimus scratched his chin, taking in the information. "If I may provide a comment…"

"Yeah sure, go ahead Optimus."

The Prime nodded. "Sideswipe, you have been a close friend of mine for quite some time now. I watched you mature into a strong, loyal Autobot and I am happy to say that I trust you fully and can comfortably rely on you if I am in need of assistance."

"Thank you Optimus. The same can be said for me as well."

"That is very appreciative Sideswipe, however that is not the point I am trying to make. You have proven to me countless times in my life time that you are capable of making unselfish decisions, and for that, I am grateful. This is also why I am asking you to not take your relationship with Arcee too seriously."

Sideswipe raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"As you may have heard, Jack was a human member of Team Prime who had developed a strong bond with Arcee. One day, he had left abruptly, leaving a note behind to warn us not to waste our time trying to find him, as he does not wish to be found at this moment. In time, you will understand Jack's reasoning behind his actions, and though Arcee knows these reasons, Jack's absence has left a painful void in her life. I believe she has chosen you to be her new partner, not because she wishes to start a relationship with you, but to lessen the pain of loss."

"I understand Optimus. In fact, I've noticed this too. But what exactly do you want me to do?"

The Prime looked him in the eyes. "Over time, Arcee's emotional state has slowly begun to decay. If something were to happen that would push her past the brink of mentality, I fear for the worse. I ask you Sideswipe, for you are the only one who can accomplish this task, to care for her and show her affection when needed. I ask you to be with her for the time being, and to show nothing but compassion towards her; however I warn you to not let this request reach her audio receptors. Can you do this for me Sideswipe?"

The red bot considered it for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of faking a relationship with his childhood friend, but after a bit, he realized that the purpose of this is to build her mental state back up and help her overcome future crises.

"Alright Optimus, I'll do it… for Arcee's sake."

Optimus placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a small smile. "Thank you, old friend."

Sideswipe nodded and the Prime let go, making his way down the corridor.

"Wait Optimus" Sideswipe beckoned, making the Prime turn around. "What happens if she wants to become further bonded, perhaps even spark mates?"

"Do not worry old friend. I do not believe it will come to that. Her feelings for Jack still reside with her, and because of that, she will not be able to become spark mates with you, whether she wishes it or not."

Sideswipe nodded again and let Optimus continue on his way down the hall way.

It was going to be an interesting next few months…

…

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, a large purple ship drifted along above the clouds, hiding away from any human or Cybertronian eyes as repairs on the extensive damage of the previous battle was being repaired.

In the command center stood a single being, silver all over with pulsing purple veins coursing through his body. Megatron looked out the window as his ship moved across the sky, desperately thinking about a way to counter Optimus now that the Prime was in possession of the Star Saber.

A knock on the door got his attention and he turned to see Dreadwing walk in. The Decepticon lieutenant took a bow as his master lay eyes on him.

"My liege" he greeted.

"What is it Dreadwing?" Megatron asked harshly.

Dreadwing stood up and straightened his back. "Forgive me, Lord Megatron. While I do not question the wisdom of our tactical retreat, the repairs to the Nemesis have almost been complete and the army is well rested and ready to fight. Know that I am fully prepared to lead the troops in a counter-attack against the Autobots."

"Counter-attack? Perhaps you fail to notice Optimus Prime, cleave an entire mountain with a single blow." Megatron stated, shutting down the idea immediately. "With the Star Saber in his possession, my enemy can obliterate us all with a wave of his hand!"

Dreadwing stood silently, considering Megatron's words. "Do we not also possess a powerful relic of the ancients?"

"Indeed…" the warlord answered, scratching his chin. "The Forge of Solis Prime! Left here by the Autobots when they had stormed the ship as humans and used it to turn themselves back into Cybertronians. But it is useless, except in a hand of a Prime."

Megatron seemed to remember something as he stood there quietly. Then, ever so subtly, he began to chuckle. That chuckle turned into a cackle, which then led him to burst out laughing, evil practically dripping off his mouth. Dreadwing raised an eyebrow at his master's strange action before Megatron stopped and looked down on him, smirking and showing off his razor sharp teeth.

"But I might wield that power, if I were to control such a hand."

…

Moments later, the Nemesis flew across the vast emptiness of space, heading towards the moon.

"Earth's moon is a barren rock, is it not?" Dreadwing asked. He and Megatron stood on top of the Nemesis, looking ahead at the glowing moon as they neared.

"Indeed Dreadwing, but the moon is not our destination."

The Decepticon lieutenant watched as the ship flew behind the moon, revealing a completely new and operational space bridge, tucked and hidden behind the shadow of the moon so that neither eyes nor optics can see it from Earth.

"A spacebridge" Dreadwing awed.

"Our very own, relocated here when after the Autobots had discovered its location on Earth." Megatron answered. "Come Dreadwing, we shall travel to the one place in the galaxy which may provide us a means of defeating Optimus Prime!"

Two transformation sounds were heard as Megatron and Dreadwing transformed into their respective jets, flying towards the groundbridge. As they neared, the portal began to power up and a much larger version of a groundbridge appeared. The two Decepticons flew through it, disappearing into the vast array of swirling colours.

…

On the opposite side of the galaxy, the other end of the spacebridge opened up and two jets flew out. The two Decepticons entered hyper speed and in mere seconds, they had entered the atmosphere of another planet. One that had long died ages ago and now rests as a large ball of metal and deceased Cybertronians.

"The devastation to our home world, is worst than I remember." Dreadwing commented as they flew by the grayness of the dead planet. Though he was born and raised here, it was hard for him to believe it once contained life.

"Curse the Autobots to the pit!" the lieutenant said in anger, breaking his usual calm and professional tone. Megatron smirked secretly, although because he was in jet form, Dreadwing did not see it.

Moments later, the two Decepticons flew down and transformed, landing in front of what looked to be an ancient ruin. Dreadwing did not recognize the place, as it looked to be hidden away before and during the war, however Megatron did and he followed his master in.

The dark corridor presented a strange eerie feeling as the Decepticon lieutenant walked through. Though made of metal, the walls were deteriorating and debris and ruble was scattered along the ground, providing a difficult time for the two large Decepticons to get through. Eventually, however, they reached the end of the hallway to a large door closed shut.

"Where are we?" Dreadwing asked, but did not get an answer. Instead, Megatron smashed his hand against the side of the wall and a moment later, the doors slid open, revealing an extremely dark and dusty room. It was small, just big enough to fit perhaps four or five Decepticons inside, and the only thing that resided inside was a large, metallic tomb.

"A tomb!" the lieutenant exclaimed, flashing his light on the box. Ancient words and patterns were carved into the tomb's walls which he neither recognized, nor understood.

"One known to contain the remains of Primes" Megatron explained with a smirk. "Please, tell me you're not adverse to desecration."

A shiver went down his spine as Dreadwing understood what his master was trying to get at.

"It is just that being in such a place, revokes powerful emotions, considering the fate of my twin."

"Then you should delight in our purpose here," the warlord answered, leading him into the tomb's resting place, "to exact our revenge of Skyquake and of all our fallen brethren."

Dreadwing closed his optics, thinking about all those who had fallen. Then, in a sudden surge of both anger and despair, he grabbed the sides of the lid of the tomb and began pushing it off. He grunted as he used all his strength, and a moment later, the lid hit the floor with a loud clang.

The lieutenant peered into the tomb and his optics widened. He took a step back, cowering in fear, but not wanting to show his master that.

Megatron merely chuckled and looked down at the deceased Prime. Centuries have gone by and the Prime's body had long become a short meal for small scraplets. However, even with the extensive damages, Megatron could recognize the glaring face of Liege Maximo, one of the fiercest and most evil of the Thirteen.

Back when he was only a sparkling, Megatron had looked up to Liege Maximo as he was astounded to hear stories of the Prime's adventures. He especially had a certain interest in Liege Maximo because of his ruthlessness and refusal to back down from any fight. In the end, perhaps it was because he had looked up to the darkness of Liege Maximo that he was now who he was today, however, that just made it all the more comforting about what he was about to do.

The warlord activated his sword and raised it above his head. Then, in a swift motion, brought it down on his former inspiration and now, deceased Prime of the Thirteen.

…

Hours had passed since his journey back to Cybertron. Megatron stood in the darkness of the Decepticon vault, only a single dim light shone above a table. The Forge of Solis Prime was the only thing residing on the table, glimmering in the light even though it was very dim.

Megatron smirked as he stepped forward, revealing his newly implanted arm in the light. The dark red and yellow colour scheme of Liege Maximo's arm made it strikingly different from the rest of his body, but he didn't care. If he was right, then the arm would provide something much more than just a strange design.

The warlord flexed his new arm, making sure everything was working perfectly before placing it on the forge. The artifact reacted as if it was in contact with a Prime as it began to spark and gears began to turn. Megatron felt a surge of energy, very faint, but a surge nevertheless as he raised the forge above his head. In his other hand, he threw down a large piece of raw dark energon onto the table, before reaching up and supporting the weight of the heavy forge.

"At long last, the power of the Primes belongs to me!"

…

 **Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is more of a transition chapter with content I had to add, but couldn't find a spot anywhere else. Sorry if it's a bit boring but I tried to make it as exciting as possible. Also for those who are into the Transformers lore, the tomb Megatron raids is indeed Liege Maximo's. That's right, your boy did research.**

 **Good news: starting today, I'm on Christmas break for about two-three weeks, and if you were here during the summer when I had first started this writing gig, that means DAILY UPDATES! YAY!**

 **Anyways, I hope you all have had a great year because I know I have. Christmas is coming and I know that the content I'm putting out isn't exactly Christmassy, but there's nothing much I can do about that. I did plan on making a short, Christmas story on the side, but it doesn't seem like I can do that right now. I had lost the organizer and all ideas for that one too and I'm very far behind on this story than I had originally planned.**

 **Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed and be sure to lookout for a new chapter tomorrow. Oh, and leave a review. That'd be nice :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Blue flames spat out as the strange blue liquid boiled inside the stainless steel pot.

Carter sat on a nearby log, so close to the blazing flame that he could feel it on his leg. With one hand on the handle, he carefully shook the melted energon, making sure the heat was being equally distributed throughout the pot. He waited a few more minutes, giving the liquid a bit more time to boil before removing it from the fire.

"Here she is" he said, carefully holding it out so that it wouldn't burn him. One tiny spill and a million different things could happen, all of which he would rather not find out about. "Jack, do you mind handing the sniper rifle over?"

The man didn't get a response and turned his shoulder, looking towards the teen sitting against a tree a few metres away.

"Jack?" he asked again, but again no answer.

As it stood, Jack's mind wasn't there at the moment; however it wasn't in his sub-consciousness either. Rather, it was focused on the item he held in his hand, more importantly, of who was in the item was of.

As it has been since his first night out in the wild, Jack has made it a ritual to gaze at the image of him and Arcee every night. It was the one time of day where he actually showed emotions, opposite to his new persona he had gained when he had absorbed both Agent 000 and the darkness' power.

All this time out here and never had he forgotten his roots. Arcee was still the girl he had fallen in love with, and though a lot of have changed, he still longed to be with her once again. Every night, he would look up to the stars, wondering if she was looking up at them as well. He wondered how her life was going on, he wondered if she had recovered from his absence and continues to follow the other Autobots as he had asked in his letter, but most of all, he wondered if she thought of him as well.

Jack sighed, rubbing his thumb against Arcee's cheek. He missed the feeling of her body, wrapped inside of his arms. Back then, she was his guardian, yet his arms were a symbol of protection and everlasting love. He sighed again, remembering of how all that had come to an end.

One more time… He wanted to see her just one… more… time…

"Jack!"

The sudden call of his name awoke him from his trance. He lowered the photo and looked up, seeing a slightly impatient Carter.

"As much as I just _love_ holding this pot of molten energon for you, wouldn't you think it would benefit both of us if you handed me your sniper rifle?" The mad asked.

"Sorry."

Jack stood up and reached for the rifle lying against the tree, handing it to the man so that he could pour the energon into the ammo compartment. Ever so slowly, Carter began pouring the boiling liquid inside, a small stream of blue flowing into the compartment. Like molasses, the energon's density was very thick and its adhesiveness made the liquid stick to the walls of the pot and compartment. But sure enough, a few minutes passed and the final drop fell into the compartment.

The man moved the pot away, placing it on a stack of sticks to cool as he shut the lid of the compartment shut. He held the sniper up, making sure everything was still intact before lowering the rifle. He looked over and saw Jack once again caught up in the picture as his mind drifted off to whatever he was thinking.

"You miss her, don't you?"

Jack lowered the picture. "She… was the reason why the decision to leave was so hard."

Carter walked over, handing the sniper rifle back while taking a seat on a log in front of him.

"Tell me about her."

The teen blinked. "Well, Arcee was just… amazing. On the outside, she's serious and hard-shelled, but once you get to know her, you realize that she's sweet, loving, and compassionate. She always puts everyone else before herself and is always willing to help out someone in need. Every time she stepped in a room, she would light up my day. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue and her smile was so warm…"

"I'd love to see her someday" Carter smiled.

Jack rubbed his arm. "Yeah… me too…"

The conversation came to an awkward pause as the man realized that this was one of the more touchy subjects to talk about. He decided to change topics and tapped on the sniper rifle.

"The compartment's loaded up, although I'd be cautious about how you use your ammo. We're running low on energon cubes and you don't want to run out of ammo during a battle."

Jack grabbed the sniper, checking the compartment to see if everything was secure. He took aim at a tree about 30 feet away and pulled the trigger once. A blue, bullet-shaped blast flew out of the barrel and made contact, blasting the branch right off.

"How many more cubes do we have left?" Jack asked.

"Well there's one over here" Carter said, looking over his shoulder, "and there's another in one of my bags. Considering the rate you've been going through these, I'd say you've got enough ammo for a week tops."

Jack stood up and walked over to the bags. Carter expected him to double check that there was indeed only one energon cube the bag, but was surprised to see the teen grab the scanner out from his bag instead.

"What are you doing?" he asked as Jack seemed to type in something on the screen.

"Getting more energon" the teen said, returning back to his normal persona.

"From where?"

"I'm running and energon search right now" Jack answered, waving the scanner in the air. "You see, I've been thinking. The Decepticons and MECH are both able to find energon signals because they are better equipped than the Autobots. One the things the Autobots lack are satellites, which explains why the 'cons are usually able to get there before we did."

"But…" Jack continued, "if I connect this scanner's IP to any satellite in the world, it should give the scan a boost and allow it to not only find energon signals faster, but more accurately as well."

Carter scratched his chin. "Yes, in a sense, you're right. But there are so many factors you aren't putting into play. For one, you risk exposing not only the location of the satellite you're essentially stealing, but your own location as well. Since the connection is not on a secure line, all your information is put out for everyone to see."

"Ah, but I did think of that" Jack said with a slight annoyance that his mentor wasn't backing him up on this. "Ratchet has a program installed that scrambles the connection line of all Autobots devices. Even if I am connecting to a random satellite, the VPN address will keep changing, making it impossible to track."

Jack could tell the man was about to respond but all of a sudden, a beep got both their attentions as the scanner began blinking green. He peered at the screen and saw that his idea had worked, and multiple energon sources were popping up all over the world. He randomly picked a location, memorized the coordinates, then shut the scanner off and tossed it back into the bag.

"Worked like a charm" the teen said, grabbing the portable groundbridge along with the katana. "There's a B level energon mine in the northern mountains in Switzerland. Shouldn't be any problem whatsoever."

Jack continued to move hastily, strapping the katana around him and picking up the sniper rifle off the ground. He began typing in coordinates into the portable groundbridge when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Woah, hold on a second." Carter said, giving him a very serious look. "That may be impressive, but you aren't prepared for this at all. You may have experience sniping in the field, but storming a Decepticon mine is a completely different concept. You are not ready."

"Relax Carter," Jack said, calmly brushing off the man's hand. "I don't call myself Stealth for nothing."

The teen saw that Carter was biting his lip, probably deciding whether or not he should argue with him further. He ignored him and activated the groundbridge. A moment later, the swirling vortex appeared in front of him and he was about to walk in, when he remembered something he had forgotten. He quickly grabbed a nearby bag, emptied out the few things inside onto the ground, then draped it across his shoulder.

Jack paused and locked eyes with the man staring at him. "Nothing is going to happen. I'll be back before you know it."

With that, he disappeared into the groundbridge. As the portal closed, Carter closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I warned you Jack…"

…

As the groundbridge closed, the teen snuck up to the closest object of cover, which just so happened to be a large bush overlooking the valley. He checked his surroundings, making sure no one saw his groundbridge entrance before kneeling down and using the scope of the sniper rifle to look around. Sure enough, he spotted the entrance to a lit up cave down in the valley, most likely the energon mine his scanner had picked up.

Near the entrance stood three Vehicon guards, each already with their blasters at the ready. Jack was tempted to take a shot and take them out to make his job easier when entering the mine, but alas, because of their tight formation, it would be impossible to take out all three without having one of them alert someone of the attack.

Jack lowered the sniper rifle, and hid it deep inside the large bush. He did the same with the portable groundbridge, realizing that it could slow him down when trying to sneak in. Once the objects were hidden, he looked around for any land mark that could remind him later on of where this spot was. Not seeing any, he opted to take out his katana and carve a line through a nearby tree, marking it for future reference.

Once he was ready, he began making his way down the mountain side, gracefully leaping from one edge to another. He stuck to the shadows in case one of the Vehicons decided to look up but luckily he made it down without being spotted.

As his feet hit the ground, he sprinted forward as fast as he could. The sound of large footsteps walking towards him got his attention as he pushed himself up against a large rock, hiding from the Vehicon's eye-sight. The footsteps stopped and the teen looked up to see the Vehicon right above him. Not making a sound, the Vehicon didn't bother checking his feet for intruders and eventually left to scout out a different position.

Jack looked around and saw the other two guards with their back turned towards the cave entrance and made a break for it. He slipped into the mine undetected, clutching onto the walls just in case one of them had heard his footsteps. Once he knew that he was in the clear, he made his way further into the cavern.

The narrow opening that was the mouth led to a much larger opening. As he approached it, he was slightly blinded by the bright flood-lights that were strung all over the walls. His vision cleared after a bit and he was given a good overview of the entire operation. The mine extended further down for about fifty meters or so, and upwards for just as high. Vehicon miners and drills were stationed everywhere as the Decepticons were too busy working to notice the small human standing near the entrance.

Jack scanned the area again, looking for an energon vain that wasn't being worked on. Sure enough, he spotted a large vein sticking out a few levels down. A manned-drill was digging at another vein a few meters away so the teen made haste to get to the energon.

Still sticking to the walls, he didn't bother with jumping down the separate layers, rather sliding down the wall of the cavern until he came up behind the vein the drill was drilling at. The oblivious miner had not yet noticed him, but if he didn't move quickly, the Decepticon would have to be blind to not see him. Jack saw a large rock on the ground and kicked it, the stone bouncing across the ground and hitting the other side of the mine.

The miner stopped drilling as the sound had gotten his attention. He stepped off his drill and made his way over to see where the noise came from while Jack slipped out from behind the energon vein.

 _Stupid 'con_ , he chuckled into his mind.

The teen reached the large vein and slipped behind it, pressing his back up against the wall of the cavern as he got to work. As quietly as possible, he unsheathed his katana and began slicing the raw energon into cube like pieces, placing each one into his bag. He didn't worry about sizing since he could sort all that later but instead, focused on filling the bag up before the Decepticon got back.

After a few more slices, the bag was filled to the top and the teen closed it up. He swung it over his back, slipping his hands through the arm holes while holding onto the katana. He peered from out of the energon vein, checking to see if the Vehicon had returned from his distraction. He found it quite amusing to see that the low-intelligent Decepticon was still looking around for the cause of the sound and he made a mental note to use distractions more often.

Knowing that he had a few more minutes as the miner aimlessly looked for a non-existent intruder, Jack began scaling the side of the cavern, using his katana to get a better grip of areas that were covered in more rock than dirt.

Not long after, Jack reached the top, hoping up to the mouth of the cavern and sheathing his katana back into its holder. He looked around, laughing once again at the stupidity and oblivion of the miners. You'd think Decepticons would have a little more awareness for their surroundings, but as it was shown, they clearly didn't.

 _I'd say that was quite a successful energon raid_ , Agent 000 pointed out.

 _I'll say. The only thing that would get their attention would be a 12 foot robot storming in. I don't see why the Autobots didn't try using us sooner._

 _To be fair, I doubt they ever expected any of you to have possession of a blade sharp enough to cut through energon, nonetheless, the ability to be as stealthy as you are._

Jack merely shrugged before calmly walking back towards the mouth of the cave.

Once he reached the opening, he was curious to see if maybe it was only that specific Vehicon who was so oblivious. He grabbed a nearby rock, tossing it in his hand a few times before hurling it through the air. The rock hurdled forwards, smacking a tree with so much force, the branches shook and leaves fluttered to the ground.

All three Vehicon guards immediately reacted as if they were under attack, each one of them aiming their blasters at the tree.

"Show yourself!" said one of them, slowly itching forward.

"Yeah! Come out you coward!" coaxed one of the two following close behind, although his voice shook with fear.

Jack quietly laughed under his breath. _Nope, all of them are lacking in intelligence._

After taking a mental picture of the scene, the enhanced human spotted the marked up tree and made his way over towards the large bush. Scaling down the mountain side was a lot easier than going back up, but thanks to his enhancements, he got up with ease. He jumped from rocks and swung from branches as if he was some sort of gymnast and it didn't take long for him to reach his temporary hideout.

Once in the clear, Jack took off the bag and inspected the energon he had stolen from the mine. They were in all different sizes and shapes on account of him rushing the cutting process, but none of that mattered anyways since he'd be melting them down anyways.

He looked at his handiwork and couldn't help but smirk.

"Am I still not ready?" he asked rhetorically, remembering what Carter had said to him before he left.

 _You know he's just looking out for you_ , the agent pointed out.

Jack sighed. _Yeah, but I feel like he underrates me sometimes._

 _I don't think he underrates you. He was more concerned of the consequences of your actions rather than your ability to sneak around._

Jack didn't respond, understanding that the agent was probably right. But he still wanted to prove to Carter that he could handle a simple energon run. He picked up the bag and double-checked that he didn't miss anything before typing the coordinates into the portable groundbridge.

Suddenly, the sound of blaster fire got his attention and he quickly put the groundbridge away. Jack looked around, hearing more blaster fire followed by the revving of engines as the sound seemed to be getting closer.

Then, out of nowhere, a silver sports car jumped into the air below him, landing with a thud and speeding towards the mouth of the cave. At first glance, Jack thought it was Jazz mounting an attack on the energon mine, but after looking again, he realized that it wasn't an Autobot but rather a Decepticon. It also made more sense that it was a 'con since the Vehicons seemed to be shooting at whatever was chasing it, rather than at it.

 _That doesn't look like Knockout… what other Decepticon has a vehicle mode?_ Jack asked while setting up his sniper rifle. He used the bush as cover as he poked the barrel of the rifle out from the other side.

 _Well there was Breakdown. But I killed him._ Agent 000 stated.

 _Maybe a new Decepticon?_ _Wait, who's chasing it?_

His question was answered when three vehicles jumped into the air in hot pursuit, dodging blaster fire from the Vehicon guards. Jack tried to get a better look at the vehicles but a sudden whoosh deafened him as a fighter jet zoomed by, taking out one of the Vehicons with its turret while glazing another.

Jack's ears screamed in pain as he tried to regain his sense of hearing. However, he did not need his hearing to look at who it was and what he saw got his heart beating incredibly fast.

He recognized the vehicle with the large number 38s on his doors immediately as Smokescreen. He watched as the rookie jumped up, transforming in mid-air, and landing with a thud on top of a Vehicon.

Following right behind was an unfamiliar red bot, who Jack only knew from the database as Sideswipe, an old friend of Optimus' during the war on Cybertron. Sideswipe screeched to a halt and as his bi-pedal form stood, his blasters had already been activated and he shot the pinned down Vehicon, off-lining him immediately.

Jack's hearing slowly started to come back as he studied the plane that had caused the deafening sound. Air Raid was his name, at least, that's what Jack had read, and judging by the amount of firepower he had on his vehicle mode alone, Jack was curious to see what he was packing in his Autobot form.

Though it was nice to finally see the two newer Autobots and Smokescreen, what made his heart skip a beat was the last vehicle.

Zooming along and leading the group was a very familiar blue motorcycle. She was the smallest of the group but nowhere near the weakest as Jack had fought with her, for her, and against her in his life time. Her blue metal glistened in the sun light and as she transformed, time seemed to stop for Jack.

Though he had fought along the Autobots in their recent battles for the past weeks, Jack had yet to spot Arcee until now. Every day became a guessing game of fate as each time he was notified of Autobot movement; he hoped to see the blue motorcycle there. This was the first time since his leaving that he saw his former girlfriend and as she transformed, Jack's heart raced at her beauty.

Arcee's sleek hour-glass form was emphasized in the Sun's light and her blue optics seemed to emit a sort of aura Jack couldn't take his eyes off of. The look of determination on her face reminded him of the times when she was determined to save him and it made him all the more attracted to her.

He watched as his former girlfriend leaped onto the last Vehicon guard, landing on his shoulders as the Decepticon struggled to blast her off him. His attempts came to nothing as Arcee remained on his back. All of a sudden, Arcee rolled forward, tossing the Vehicon with her legs against a tree. In a link of an eye, her blasters were activated and she shot twice, off-lining the guard before he even hit the ground.

"That's my girl…" Jack whispered, smiling the largest smile he's had since he had left his friend and family. She was just as beautiful as the day he met her, maybe even more, and Jack was tempted to run towards her and pull her in for a tight hug.

Memories began flowing through his mind; memories of joy, happiness, and love. He thought back to the intimate times with his girlfriend, where their feelings and emotions were shared through each other's touch. He remembered the moments where just the comfort of each other would lighten up their day and wash away all cares in the world. He thought of the hardships and struggles they've been through, the battles they've won, and the love they've shown, and now, this girl, this love of his life, was right in front of him once again.

Jack's thoughts were cut short as something happened down below that got his attention. As soon as Arcee off-lined the final guard, all alerts inside the mine went off and in an instant, every single Vehicon was outside.

The two sides squared off, blasters at the ready, as the Autobots were outnumbered five-to-one. Five-to-one excluding Jack, that is. With him on the Autobot side, he lowered the odds to four-to-one, although he'd still like those numbers to be lower.

Both sides remained hesitant, neither one willing to fire first. The four Autobots stood crouched in a tight formation, ready to pounce at any moment. Meanwhile, the Vehicons stood there patiently, also waiting for orders to attack from their commander which Jack guessed to be the silver car.

The unknown silver car, still not transformed yet, spun around, taking the head of the Decepticon armada. It shined its headlights on the four Autobots as if it were tempting them to make the first move.

"Come on and transform already Sideways, or are you thinking about running away again?" Jack heard Smokescreen yell. He took note of the Decepticon's name as 'Sideways' and watched to see what the silent 'con would do as a response.

Nothing happened at first, but then all of a sudden, Sideways began shifting. The doors to the car became long, broad arms and the rest of the body followed until everything stopped moving. In place of the silver car was a sleek, silver Decepticon, his resembling that of Soundwave. Sideways was unlike any 'con Jack had ever seen before. A helmet, almost acting as a mask, shielded the Decepticons optics, and a large black screen stood in place of the usual chest piece. Jack also noted that Sideways stayed silent, and like Soundwave, remained quiet even in the midst of battle.

Finally, after a long moment of silence from both sides, Sideways spoke.

"Decepticons superior, Autobots inferior" the silver 'con stated, changing his long arms into deadly broad swords.

As soon as Sideways changed into an attacking stance, all hell was let loose. Hundreds of blaster fire began raining down and the Vehicons began walking forward, bearing down on the overwhelmed Autobots. Sideways also began charging forward, running directly at the Autobot's tight formation. He was a lot faster than he looked and his agility proved that he was no stranger when it came to battle.

"Autobots, let's move!" Arcee commanded. "Smoke, Air Raid, with me. Sideswipe, take care of Sideways. Let's show these 'cons what we're made of."

Meanwhile, up on the mountain side, Jack lay on his stomach, following a certain blue female with the scope of his sniper rifle. He followed the two-wheeler's tracks as she elegantly sliced and rolled, dodging blaster fire with ease, all while delivering killing blows to the Vehicons who decided to test their luck against her.

"On your right" he heard her warn Air Raid. The Aerialbot switched his right hand into a blaster and fired blindly behind him, off-lining a Vehicon immediately.

"Watch your flank" Arcee told Smokescreen and the rookie ducked, allowing the two-wheeler to take and easy shot at a surprised Vehicon.

Jack felt his heart pulse again. He was happy for Arcee. Not only was she taking command like the leader he always knew she was, but she was happy. He could see it in her eyes that she had moved on, moved on from the drama he had caused and the pain and suffering he had introduced, and was now focused on winning the war. He knew she had read his letter, and now, she was doing exactly what he asked of her.

 _How about you stop drooling over your girlfriend and help them out?_ Agent 000 pointed out.

Jack shook his head, snapping out of his little daydream. He looked down the scope of the sniper rifle, pulling the trigger as he saw fit. And every time that trigger was pulled, a Vehicon would fall. Today was unlike any other day. His precision was on point and every shot resulted as a kill. He had a steady rhythm in his shooting, following the beat of his heart. The joy of seeing his love had overcome something inside him. It gave him strength, a reason to shoot, and he felt the enhancements giving him powers that he had never experienced before.

Overtime, the number of Vehicons that once overwhelmed the Autobots began to shrink. The odds of winning the battle sky rocketed and Jack stopped shooting, seeing that his aid was no longer needed. Instead, he trailed the ongoing battle between Sideswipe and Sideways.

Though Sideswipe appeared to be experienced and all the more capable in battle, he seemed to be having trouble with the silver Decepticon. Perhaps one of the biggest factors was that Sideswipe lacked the means of a melee weapon, meaning that when Sideways charged at him with his long broad swords, he was forced to fight with his fists.

Jack watched as Sideways swung his blade across, the tip of the sword cutting Sideswipe's chest and leaving a thin, yet visible line. To counter, the red bot landed a powerful blow to the 'con's head, then followed up with a low sweep that took out his legs.

Though down, Sideways was nowhere near out of the battle. The Decepticon was clever and used his sleek form to begin spinning on the ground like a top. Then, he lifted his blades and with the spinning motion, he became a razor sharp rotor that prevented Sideswipe to get anywhere near him. Suddenly, with a push of a leg, the silver 'con jumped up, cutting Sideswipe on the mouth before landing flawlessly on his feet. The move was impressive and the execution was even better, and now, the battle stood as it did a few seconds ago.

A whistle echoed through his head.

 _That was one slick move_ , the agent commented.

 _That's the enemy you're talking about_.

 _Yes, but a move like that deserves some credibility, regardless of what side_.

Jack shook his head, turning his focus back to the ongoing battle.

"That's it!" Jack heard Sideswipe yell, wiping away energon from his mouth. "First you steal my name, then you help put Velocitron into ruins, but I will NOT let you beat me today!"

Sideswipe charged forwards with so much determination, Jack actually envied him. The red bot threw lightning fast punches, missing two as Sideways sidestepped them, but connecting a thirst that caused the silver 'con to stumble back. He then continued with a hard uppercut to Sideways' chest screen, cracking it slightly, then grabbing him and throwing him against a tree a few meters away.

The silver 'con slowly got to his knees and checked his cracked screen. He looked at Sideswipe, then at the energon mine, then back at Sideswipe. Jack could tell Sideways realized he was being overpowered and was surprised to see the silver 'con transform and retreat. Sideswipe tried to stop him, sending a volley of blaster fire towards the moving vehicle, but Sideways manoeuvred around them with ease. A moment later, a groundbridge appeared in front of the silver car, swallowing the Decepticon and disappearing shortly after.

"Scrap" Sideswipe muttered before transforming into his Lamborghini form and driving to join the others.

Jack jumped ahead, seeing Arcee finish off the final Vehicon. She was covered from head to toe in dirt and grime, yet she was still the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. He watched as she turned around, examining the aftermath of the battle. Smokescreen tapped a downed Vehicon with his toe while Air Raid tapped the faceplate of another which had been twitching. All in all, the battle had been won, the energon had been won, and there had been no casualties.

Arcee brought a servo to her ear, activating her com-link.

"Ratchet, this is Arcee. Send a groundbridge to my coordinates; we're bringing home an entire energon mine."

Smokescreen and Air Raid cheered at the accomplishment. Not only was it a hard fought battle but one that crucially needed to be won. With a much larger team than before, the Autobots had been low on energon for a while. When Ratchet notified them about a possible energon mine, Optimus had sent them to capture and reclaim the Cybertronian life force.

Jack smiled when he saw the bright faces on the Autobots. He knew that they were probably tired from all the battles recently and he was tempted to reveal himself and celebrate with them. Of course, that idea was shot down right away by his sub-consciousness but a part of him wanted to rejoin his old friends. Most of all, he wanted to be with Arcee again.

As the three Autobots made sure the Vehicons were all disabled, two headlights appeared from the forest as the red Lamborghini came to a screeching halt next to Smokescreen.

"Looks like I missed the entire battle" Sideswipe commented as he transformed.

"Where's that sorry excuse for a Soundwave knock off?" the rookie asked.

Sideswipe shook his head. "He got away. Had him by the ropes but he slipped out of my grasps at the last moment."

"Don't sweat it. We got the energon mine and that's all that matters."

Jack looked from above at the two as the others joined them. He saw Arcee make her way over to the group, swaying her hips as she usually does, but something caught his eye. The look on Sideswipe's face as Arcee approached bothered him. The red bot had a twinkle in his eye and a warming smile, much like the one he had when Arcee was around, and something didn't feel right to him.

Jack sensed something was going on that he wasn't aware about and he watched closely as Arcee joined up with the other Autobots.

"Swipey, you ok?" he heard the two-wheeler asked, raising an eyebrow at the nickname.

Sideswipe groaned in response. "I still function but that blasted 'con did a number on me."

Jack became even more attentive when he saw Arcee lean in, placing two hands on the red bot's chest. She traced the cut on Sideswipe's chest with a servo, making the red bot wince in pain. She gently looked up, smiling warmly and wiping away the energon dripping from his mouth.

"Let's get you home, babe" Arcee said quietly, but not quiet enough for Jack to not overhear.

 _Huh? Babe? BABE?! DID SHE JUST CALL HIM BABE?!_

Anger boiled under his skin as he looked on, not believing what he heard. But he knew what he heard and what he saw next corrected his thoughts.

Arcee leaned in, tilting Sideswipe's head downwards…

…Their eyes closed slowly as their lips came together…

…And they kissed.

...

Something snapped inside him.

He couldn't believe what he was looking at, yet he did.

It all made sense now. She wasn't changed because of his letter. She wasn't different because of him. She was happy because she had found someone else to love; someone other than himself. He had been replaced.

The years of love, trust, and compassion flowed out of him. He had been betrayed and made a fool of by the love of his life, the one person he would lay down his life for. After all this time, all the effort in trying to find out who he was for the purpose of seeing her once again, all of it, and this is what he gets in return. To be abandoned and left alone for the rest of his life. Is this what fate had for him? Is this what life was to become?

What had snapped was the line that kept him sane. What had snapped was the last bit of light that he had hoped would bring him back to his family and friends. But now, those aspects no longer existed. The line that separated darkness from light was crossed, and never again shall it be restored. What he had seen brought him over the edge of no return and has erased the last bits of joy that resided inside of him. Every last bit of the old Jack was gone. That's what being betrayed by the most important person in his life did to him.

 _Jack… I'm so sorry_.

The teen closed his eyes. He felt a large part of him disappear, as if he stripped of all emotions that had linked to his old self. It wasn't fair. Why did it have to happen to him? Could he not have a single joy in his life?

When Jack opened his eyes again, he was no longer Jackson Darby. His eyes gave off a low green light and his veins pumped with a new emotion: anger, regression, despair. He felt himself tapping into the full power of the darkness, using it, bonding with it, making it his. Arcee had betrayed him, went against his trust, and in the process, she had helped finish his transformation. There was no Jackson Darby anymore, he was Stealth.

With a powerful surge of anger, Jack no longer cared about which side he was on. Autobot, Decepticon, it didn't matter. He realized that he cannot trust anyone in this world but himself.

The teen grabbed his sniper rifle, locking on with the red bot's head as he and Arcee separated from the kiss. He was about to pull the trigger when his mind caught up to him. Instead of killing the red Autobot, he changed his target, aiming at the joint connecting the arm with the body, and fired.

He didn't even bother to see what had happened afterwards. As soon as he shot, he turned and began activating his groundbridge.

Meanwhile down below, the speeding bullet shot through the air and made contact, going right through Sideswipe's arm and shredding through the cables that gave him the usage of his arm. He collapsed, grabbing at his left shoulder, trying to stop all the energon pouring out.

"Swipey!" Arcee yelled, trying to tend to her injured partner. "They've got a sniper up there!"

"On it" Air Raid said, transforming quickly and blasting through the air.

The Aerialbot flew upwards towards where the shot came from. Just as he got there, a groundbridge closed and his attempts at stopping the unknown shooter dispersed against the mountain side instead.

…

Jack collapsed on the other side of the groundbridge, tossing the bag full of energon off of him and falling to his knees. He didn't regret of what he did, in fact, he wanted to do a lot more to the person responsible for stealing away the love of his life. But as he fell to his knees, what he felt was not anger, but sadness.

"Jack, are you alright" Carter said cautiously, seeing that the teen wasn't in the proper state of mind to talk.

The man didn't get a response. Instead, however, he got something much more surprising. Sounds of tears dripping onto the ground were heard as Jack's body shuddered with the feeling of pain and loss.

Jack continued to cry slowly as the reality of the situation caught up to him. However, he wasn't crying because of the pain. He wasn't crying for Arcee either. No, he was crying for himself, because he knew that after this night, he would be completely changed. He may go by Jackson Darby, but now, Jackson Darby was dead.

As he cried his tears of despair, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a single picture. The picture which he used to stare at every night was now officially a memory. There was no longer any truth to it. The love that he and Arcee showed in the image was a lie, as was the relationship they had. He was alone again, but this time, he truly was alone in the world.

Jack stared into the eyes of his former girlfriend; the one that he once thought could spend an eternity with but ended up cheating on him. Suddenly, with a surge of rage and anger, he took the picture he held so close to his heart and ripped it. And like his heart, the image was split in half, the rip going right through the couple, separating them forever.

With a yell filled with pain and sorrow, Jack threw the two halves of the picture into the burning fire. The two pieces fluttered down like leaves until they were engulfed by the burning flames of hell. Jack watched as Arcee's image caught a flame, shrivelling up into a ball of burnt paper, disappearing from his life forever.

A single tear hit the ground as Jack's rage dispersed and the teen stared deep into the fire.

"Goodbye Arcee…"

…

 **Author's Note: Woops, looks like I lied about the daily updates. I was extremely busy over the Christmas weekend and then I totally forgot that I had plans to go on vacay for the week. I'll try to get out another chapter ASAP, but the daily updates won't happen until I get back.**

 **Also, I know the fight scene was lacking a lot of aspects. It wasn't really supposed to be an action scene, more so an emotional scene for Jack. Even so, you have no idea of how hard it is to write a fight scene through the eyes of someone watching said fight scene. Seriously, try it. It's hard man.**

 **Final words, I know a lot of you hate that I'm technically pairing Arcee up with Sideswipe but as I said before, I know where this is headed. I'm always an Jack/Arcee shipper so need not worry my friends, those two will come together in time. Just remember Sideswipe doesn't exactly have feelings for Arcee, but he acts like it to avoid her having another emotional breakdown, if that makes sense. It should. It did in my head anyways.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed. Leave a review and I'll see you next time.**

 **Oh and one more thing, this chapter takes place during the night right after last chapter's That's important to remember because it'll carry through next chapter and is something I totally forgot to mention in this chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **Author's Note:**

 **Um... Hi.**

 **I believe an explanation for my absence is needed before you begin reading. Now, I could sit here and write some excuses about how I didn't have time or how the amount of research and dedication towards writing this series stressed me out, but truthfully those were only minor excuses. The reason I've been gone for so long is simply because I lost interest in this series as a whole. In fact, I had gotten into a completely different genre which has made coming back to this one all the more difficult.**

 **To be honest, I never really planned on coming back, but every once in a while I'd getting this wave of guilt when I receive an email of a new follower or a new favourite on my stories, and it really got me thinking. Then one day I found this incomplete chapter hidden in some files on my laptop so I touched it up a bit and here it is.**

 **I really do want to continue this series of mine and hopefully finish it, but there are many complications with that hope. For one, I've almost everything I initially planned, as well as the general Transformers Prime television series, and without the aid of an organizer, I'm pretty much writing as a blank slate. Furthermore, my free time is far more limited than it was back when I first started writing so updates would be not be as frequent as most would hope.**

 **So really, this chapter is simply just a trial run to see how it goes. I hate it when writers leave incomplete stories and I desperately do not want to be one of them. It'll really depend on what kind of feedback I get from you guys to see if I continue or not. Along with that, if you're an old follower or friend of mine and you've been patiently waiting for this update, I thank you dearly. I've probably disappointed a lot of you but if you've stuck around for this long, then maybe, just maybe… I'll have the motivation to continue.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **~ PieGuy**

"Ratchet, how is he?"

The medic bot sensed the two-wheeler's concern and raised his hands, trying to calm her down.

"There is no need to panic Arcee. Sideswipe's been injured pretty badly but he'll survive. My biggest issue is that multiple internal systems have been disabled on account of the wires that have been ripped through under his shoulder. Right now, he's in an immense amount of pain and he is unable to use his right arm for the time being. I would consider shutting off his pain receptors but that could rupture his entire nerves system."

Arcee's face saddened. She was glad that her partner was going to survive his injuries, but the thought of him suffering on the medical berth made her feel like she was at fault. After all, she was commanding the raid on the energon mine. If she had just checked her surroundings before letting her guard down, maybe Sideswipe wouldn't be in the medical room right now.

The two-wheeler felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Optimus looking at her with a facial expression that said "this is not your fault". She nodded her head, not wanting to start anything, but still blamed herself sub-consciously.

"To what extent are Sideswipe's injuries?" The Prime asked.

"No need to worry Optimus. The majority of his injuries should recover properly after I operate on him, however for Sideswipe to make a full recovery he will need to stay in the medical room for a few days as I monitor his progress."

Optimus nodded. "I trust in your abilities, old friend. Sideswipe is in good hands." He knew he didn't necessarily need to say that to Ratchet, as the medical bot had made countless surgeries before, but he felt as though a certain two-wheeler needed to hear it more.

Arcee shuffled her feet, looking the medical bot in the optics. "Can I see him?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, of course" Ratchet responded, turning to the rest of the Autobots. "All of you should. Once I start the operation, he will be put into stasis for a period of time."

Ratchet stepped out of the way of the doors, unblocking the pathway and allowing the Autobots to go through.

Arcee walked through first, immediately spotting her partner lying on the medical berth on the side. As soon as she stepped in, Sideswipe flashed a weak smile, although she could see that he was in an immense amount of pain. She glanced at his arm, elevated in the air and connected to his body by a large piece of metal Ratchet had temporarily wielded on to stop the energon from dripping. It was an uncomfortable position and Arcee knew from experience just how agonizing it was.

"How you holding up partner?" she asked, walking right up to his berth.

"Oh you know… can't feel my arm, extreme pain; the usual." Sideswipe joked, although it was ruined by the fact that he was practically gritting his teeth as he said it.

Arcee sighed, gently resting her small hand against his cheek. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should have seen the sniper up there. I… I failed you."

"Don't say that Cee, none of this is your fault. It was Sideways who had done most of the damage anyways."

The red bot peered and Arcee, seeing that she was still blaming herself. He was about to say something else when the pain caught up to him. He winced, failing back onto the berth, and trying his best not to move to avoid any further pain.

"You'll be alright Swipe" Jazz said to his friend as the rest of the Autobots walked in. "Once Ratchet patches you up, you'll be up on your feet in no time."

Once again, Sideswipe tried to answer but all he could stifle was a groan. He closed his optics, hoping it would ease the pain that in his arm, wishing Ratchet would hurry up and put him in stasis already.

The medical bot, experienced with all sorts of patients, could tell what Sideswipe wanted. He stepped towards the control panel against the wall, entering in some commands. He slid his servo across the screen, shutting down all of Sideswipe's internal systems and putting him into a temporary form of stasis.

"I've put him into stasis and have all the materials to start the operation." Ratchet said to the Autobots, although there was something he wanted to talk to them about before he started.

He turned to the two-wheeler who was still standing by the medical berth, holding onto Sideswipe's uninjured arm. It was clear she has fallen into her emotional phase again.

"Arcee" he said, getting her attention. "May you please grab my box of medical supplies in the storage vault? I will require the tools inside for the procedure."

Wheeljack, having just healed from his injury perked up. "What? Didn't you just say-"

Ratchet shot him a glare, stopping him before he could say anymore. He turned to Arcee again and gave his best comforting smile. The two-wheeler looked up at him and nodded her head, slowly trudging out of the medical room towards the storage vault.

Once he knew she was out of ear-shot distance, Ratchet quickly typed something into the scanner on his arm and a screen popped up on the large medical screen. It was an image of a radar with small blue dots as well as red X's. The Autobots peered at the screen, puzzled at what the medic was showing them.

"Uh, what are we looking at Ratch?" Bulkhead asked, scratching his head.

"This," Ratchet started, waving his hands at the image, "is a screenshot of a radar view of the recent energon mission after Arcee had contacted me. The blue dots represent Autobot signatures while the red X's represent the off-lined Decepticons."

The Autobots looked at the image and sure enough, four blue dots could be seen, all gather together in a close area. Furthermore, dozens of red X's littered the ground, showing the Vehicons they had taken out during the fight.

"Ok, we scrapped a couple 'cons and you're able to track that. That's cool and all, but you're still not telling us why you're showing us this" Smokescreen stated. Bumblebee beeped in agreement.

Ratchet groaned in annoyance, muttering under his breath. Something about "young 'bots", but his mutter was too quiet for anyone to here.

"I am showing you this, because of this spot right here," the medic stated, pointing at an area off to the side. The Autobots looked closely and were even more puzzled. Ratchet was pointing at nothing. Literally, nothing.

"I think the doc's lost his mind" Wheeljack whispered, earning a chuckle from everyone except Optimus and Ultra Magnus.

"Hey! My gears may be rusty but my hearing is as sharp as ever!"

Wheeljack smirked, having been caught but knowing the medic wouldn't do anything.

"Carry on Ratchet," Ultra Magnus said, sending a quick glare at the wrecker.

The medic pinched the bridge of his nose but continued. "Anyways, this is the exact spot in which Air Raid reported the unknown sniper to be, am I correct?"

The Aerialbot scratched his chin. "Yeah, that looks about right. He was perched up against mountain side behind a large bush and a thick tree."

Ratchet nodded. "Yes, yes. Well, remember that this radar scan was done _after_ Arcee had said that the area was clear, meaning that all visible Decepticons would have been terminated, and our mystery shooter would have still been alive. However, this is not the case."

Most of the Autobots still couldn't put two and two together and Ratchet sighed at the intelligence level in the room. The only ones who did figure it out were Optimus and Ultra Magnus, and both commanders stood with widened optics.

"If you still have not figured it out, allow me to explain it to you," Ratchet continued. "When I had scanned the area, the energon signature of the unknown sniper should have shown up on the radar. However, as you can see, that did not happen. Air Raid can vouch that this is indeed the spot of the mystery shooter, yet no matter how many diagnostics I run, the scan cannot pick up any signature that was around that area."

"Maybe you're using a faulty system," Jazz mentioned.

"That is a possibility, however, very unlikely. Recently I had run tests for this new radar and it had flawlessly passed every test by 110%," Ratchet answered, turning and looking every single Autobot in the optics before continuing. "For the past few hours, I have carefully thought of every possibility for this phenomenon. Either A: there had been no shot at all and Air Raid was only imaging the unknown groundbridge, however Sideswipe's injury proves otherwise. B: the Decepticons have learned how to hide their energy signatures from our scanners, but then the question arises of why the other Vehicons had exposed signatures. That leads me to option C…"

"…our unknown sniper is not of Cybertronian origin," Optimus finished, staring at the medical bot with wide optics.

Ratchet looked around and one by one, pairs of optics began widening as the others began catching on. Soon after, Ratchet was being stared at by 9 sets of separate optics.

"You think the sniper could have been…" Bulkhead started.

"…Jack?" Wheeljack whispered, understanding why Ratchet wanted Arcee to leave the room.

Bumblebee beeped and turned to Smokescreen who had a shocked look on his face.

"It can't be… can it?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Ratchet said, gesturing wildly for the Autobots to both calm down, and lower their voices. "Yes, Bumblebee, logically, Jack would be the most likely candidate for the unknown identity of the sniper, however I still find it very unlikely. There are too many questions that follow if Jack is indeed the sniper, which is why I believe it could be someone else. Perhaps MECH has arisen once more, and managed to gain access to groundbridge technology. Or perhaps another individual has learned of our species. Regardless, it is not proven that our new ally is indeed Jack and it is important we learn of their identity sooner than later."

Ironhide stepped forward. "Ally? How can you call the shooter an ally after what he's done to Sideswipe?" The red wrecker gestured towards the bot lying on the berth in stasis mode.

"Excellent remark Ironhide, that leads me to my next point." Ratchet said, pressing a button on his scanner as the screen split in two, the screenshot of the scanner moving to the right side while a new screenshot appeared on the left side. Location wise, they were completely identical. The only difference was that the blue dots were in a different spot, there were no red X's, and dozens of red dots grouped up across the Autobot signatures.

"This is a screenshot of the radar view of the energon mission before you had engaged the enemy," Ratchet explained. "I have mentioned the red X's, which was a new upgrade I had installed into the system just recently, track the location of off-lined Decepticons. I had come up with the idea of this after I realized that using the same technology to track your energon signatures, I can track who you have off-lined during our missions. For example, a large number of the Vehicon who have been disabled were killed by Arcee."

Ratchet pushed another button on his arm and the red X's became colour coded. Blue; meaning killed by Arcee, red; by Sideswipe, yellow; by Smokescreen, and white; by Air Raid. The Autobots looked and saw that the screen was indeed filled with blue coloured X's with white ones coming in second and yellow ones with one or two.

Jazz whistled. "Primus, that two-wheeler went off today."

"Hey Smoke, where are you on the board?" Wheeljack joked, elbowing the rookie in the lower torso.

"I was, uh, watching Arcee's back," Smokescreen stammered. "If Ratchet's system had an assist counter, you'd see that I'd have more points than anyone."

"Can you two pay attention up here?" Ratchet scolded the two, earning a sheepish face from the rookie and a stuck-out tongue from Wheeljack. He groaned, turning back to the screen. "My program tracks every Decepticon killed by an Autobot, however, I've noticed a strange trend lately. Look at the two screens and tell me what is different."

"Oh, I love this game," Bulkhead said. "Miko and I play Spot the Difference all the time."

The large green wrecker clambered forward, looking carefully at the two screens. He first looked at the location, making sure it was the same place and not a trick question. Then he looked at the blue dots, then the red ones. Not seeing a difference, he began counting the little pointers and that's when he found it.

"Aha! There are more red dots than there are red X's!"

"Yes Bulkhead, that's correct," Ratchet said, genuinely impressed by the green wrecker. He wouldn't exactly say Bulkhead lacks a brain, but it's no secret that he isn't the brightest 'bot around. "As you can see, there are 29 red dots in the first screenshot, but there are only 16 X's in the next. We need to count Sideways as one of the red dots even though he had escaped, but that still leaves 12 missing red X's that should have appeared on the radar. The most plausible reasoning for this is that our mystery sniper had off-lined a large number of Vehicons before he critically injured Sideswipe."

"So none of you have gotten the most kills," Ironhide pointed out, specifically talking to Smokescreen. The rookie mumbled something and Wheeljack chuckled at his loss of words.

Bumblebee began beeping loudly and Ratchet put a servo up to his lips and hushed him.

"No Bumblebee, as I've said, there is no evidence pointing towards Jack being the mystery sniper. The only way we can clarify this person's identity is if we keep a close eye out during the next mission. Our friend seems to know exactly where and when our battles take place so I would not be surprised if he decides to aid us again."

"Wait, I'm confused," Air Raid said. "I know that we are only speculating the shooter to be Jack but why can't we tell Arcee about it? Wouldn't it be a good thing? I thought you guys have been looking for him."

Ratchet opened his mouth to answer but he was beat by Optimus. The Prime placed a hand on the Aerialbot's shoulder, getting his attention.

"You are correct, old friend, that we have been searching for Jack for quite some time now, however it may not be the best course of action to notify Arcee of our speculation. As you may know already, Arcee and Jack have held an exceptionally close relationship which is why the timing as of right now is not when we should inform her. For now, she is expressing her pain through her new found relationship with Sideswipe and I believe it is best that we allow it to continue. At least until Arcee finds peace within herself, and understands what she truly wants in her life."

Optimus looked towards the doorway Arcee had left through and he truly hoped from deep down in is spark, that Arcee would understand soon.

…

Hours have passed since Ratchet had told the Autobots about the mystery sniper. In that time, Ratchet had finished his operation on Sideswipe and Arcee had been informed to look out for any unknown shooters during her next mission. Of course, they had left out the part where they had discussed the possibility of Jack being the sniper. It was pretty clear to everyone that Arcee was not ready for that news.

Right now, all of Team Prime sat in the control center, with their human partners with them as well. The day had winded down and night was soon to come. The kids have returned from school, having had a restless day and were happy to finally chill and hang out with their Autobot friends. Everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves as they held what now became a weekly video game tournament. Today's game was Halo, and teams were made to compete against each other. Right now, it was the team of Jazz, Ironhide, and Air Raid against Miko and Bulkhead, the latter having a hefty lead as they have had more experience playing the game than the three newest members of Team Prime who have only recently been introduced to the concept of "video games".

"Scrap it! Ironhide, it's all yours," Jazz said in a frustrating tone as he handed Ironhide the controller. He pointed a servo at the Japanese girl who was laughing her head off on the couch cross from him. "I thought we said no screen peaking."

Miko laughed even harder. "I wasn't screen peaking. You realize you were walking around backwards right? You were practically begging me to knife you."

Jazz sighed and put his head down while the others laughed at his antics. They continued to play their tournament, laughing and joking around as if they were all one big family.

Ultra Magnus sat on the side, watching the others play. He, along with Ratchet, Optimus, and Arcee, chose not to participate in the kid's games, although he rarely did anyways. He was content with sitting off to the side watching. Human culture was still a mystery to him and though he found the smaller, more primitive beings to be disturbing at first, slowly, he began taking an interest into the species. Recently, he's been studying the games the children play on their consoles, learning strategy and ways to beat the opponent in any fashion the game permits. He had to admit, it was something he wanted to try out in the near future.

Meanwhile, the other three Autobots not taking part of the Halo tournament each had their own priorities. Optimus was hard at work, trying to crack the next code in the Iacon database. Either because of recent issues that have arisen or he had lost his touch, it had been a while since they have had an alert to another relic and Optimus worried that the Decepticons have already beat him to them.

Next to the Prime was Ratchet, having just finished his operation, was busy running diagnostics on the Star Saber. Since its recovery, neither he nor Optimus have been able to get a crack at the ancient Prime relic, although the Prime didn't seem too bothered by it. Every time the medic brought it up, Optimus would respond the exact same way every time:

"Have faith in the power of the Primes and the Star Saber will be activated in time."

Ratchet never argued against Optimus' judgement, but this is the one time where he had his doubts. It's not the trust in him and the Primes that preceded him that was his problem. It's the risk of losing the Star Saber's power, and the upper hand they had on the Decepticons. For so long had they been fighting an unbalanced war, and now that they had possession of a weapon that could even out that playing field, Ratchet was determined to keep it that way.

As the two wiser 'bots worked diligently, a lonesome two-wheeler sat in the corner of the room, back turned to the others and staring towards the hallway that leads to the medical bay. The sole two-wheeler sighed, holding her legs up against her body. She knew he was going to be alright. Ratchet had said so. And even more, she wanted to be there for when he woke up, but something prevented her from being next to his side while he recovered. There was only one person she had always been with from the start, never leaving his side as he did with her. That person was Jack: her former partner, ex-boyfriend, and once love of her life.

Something rose up in her throat as she tried her hardest to keep it together in front of everyone else. As much as she wanted to deny it, Jack was still the love of her life. She missed him, even more than any of her previous partners, and though she hid it in front of the others, every so often, she would go up top and think about him. Sometimes, she would bring one of her memories with her to remind her of the moments she had with him. Other times, she would let the evening breeze speak for itself. Regardless, deep down, she knew that she still had feelings for him, feelings that she would never lose because she knew that they had come from the heart.

"What am I doing?" she cried softly, bringing her wrists to her eyes. "He left me, I…I cheated on him…how can I…"

The two-wheeler's thoughts were pierced by a sudden alert going off in the room. She quickly wiped her eyes clear of any tears and turned around, keeping her sadness shrouded within her outside face.

"What is it Ratchet?" Optimus asked, turning from his work station. The group near the couches joined them as well.

"I-I don't know," the medic stammered, raising his shoulders. "I had been running tests on the Star Saber when suddenly the alert went off."

The group turned and were amazed to see the Star Saber lying on Ratchet's diagnostic table, glowing and pulsating an array of blue aura. The alert had not come from the equipment, but rather the sword itself, as if it were calling out to someone using an unseen method of communication.

"Wow, is it supposed to do that?" Smokescreen asked in awe and wonder.

Ratchet blinked and scratched his chin, leaning in to get a better look at the glowing artifact. "I'm not sure. Perhaps if I…"

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from reaching any further as he turned around to see Optimus looking at him.

"Old friend, I believe it would be best if I looked into the sudden activation of the Star Saber."

"Yes, yes, of course Optimus."

Ratchet moved out of the way, allowing the Prime to step forward, staring at the Star Saber as he neared. Slowly and gently, Optimus began lifting the sword, both hands gripping onto the handle as the blue aura being emitted from the sword engulfed his body. He raised the Star Saber up, feeling the power rush through his body as it had before. The sword was reacting with his touch once again, but this time, there was something else.

"Wow," Miko commented and Bumblebee beeped in his own astonishment.

"Look at his eyes," Wheeljack noted, noticing the glow in the Prime's optics. "It looks like when he had tapped into the Matrix of Leadership when we were human."

"You're right Jackie, it does," Bulkhead agreed.

The three newer members of Team Prime turned to the two wreckers with a confused face.

"Hold on, did you say you were human?" Jazz asked, bewildered at the thought.

"A story for another time," Ratchet cut in, directing the attention back to the glowing sword that was engulfing their leader in a strange blue aura. "Optimus, speak to me."

Optimus did not respond, his eyes being locked onto the glowing blade.

"Optimus!"

The second call did the trick and the Prime slowly turned his head, his bright blue optics landing on his medic.

"I am receiving a message," he stated broadly.

"From who?"

Optimus blinked.

"Alpha Trion."

A sudden light shot out from the glowing blade, blinding the room with a blue brightness.

…

When Optimus opened his eyes, he was no longer in the command center. Looking around him, no Autobot nor human could be seen. He recognized the place, but only through the Matrix of Leadership. It was a place between time and space, between essence and reality. It was a place which he has only visited minimal times in his life time:

The Realm of the Primes.

All of a sudden, another light flashed in front of him, forcing him to raise his arm to protect his eyes from another blinding. As he blinked and regained his focus, he was shocked to see Alpha Trion standing in front of him.

"Alpha Trion," Optimus awed.

"Hello Optimus Prime," the ancient Prime greeted. "I take solace that you now possess the Star Saber."

"How are you able to communicate with me? Smokescreen had remarked that you had perished in the attack of Iacon."

"Optimus, the power of the Primes extends far deeper than death. It is through the power entrusted to us by Primus that I am able to communicate with you through the Star Saber."

"Do I have the ability to make this communication as well?"

"In time Optimus, however there is a far more dire matter that must be prioritized. I am certain you have deduced how these Cybertronian relics and Decepticon weapons came to be found on such a remote world. Indeed, I transported them there, not so much to keep them far from Megatron's hands, but to ensure they reach yours."

Optimus nodded, unsure of what to make of this.

"As you have long suspected, the Covenant of Primus records events of the future as well as the past. The Covenants' pages foretold that you, Optimus Prime, would journey to the small, but significant planet, and there, would engage in a crucial chapter in the war against the Decepticons. You are to wield and embrace the full power of the Star Saber, and will be tasked to make the ultimate decision that will set in place centuries to come."

"I understand."

"No, Optimus, unfortunately you do not. Not as of yet. It is also foretold that a great evil will arise, one that you are not able to defeat alone. Through the ashes, a new warrior will awaken, darkness will prove an ally, and a new era will begin. The journey will be tough, and only through powers beyond that of the Primes will the light shine and guide you through. Be aware, Optimus Prime, that this will be your darkest hour."

"Who is this new warrior?" Optimus asked.

"There will be signs. You will meet the warrior in time. However, you have a greater task of utmost importance first. There are four final keys, the Omega Keys, and with them, you will be given hope for restoring Cybertron. You must retrieve these Iacon keys, scattered across the planet. A dark power has awakened and will battle for possession of these relics. It is of the utmost importance that you protect and retrieve these keys."

"Alpha Trion, where are the location of these keys?"

"Do not fear. You will uncover their secrets Optimus Prime. Use the Star Saber's power, for it has sensed the power of its counter-part."

As Alpha Trion said those words, his body began fading away in the blue light. Optimus reached forward but his hand just fazed through his disappearing mentor.

"Wait Alpha Trion, what power are you referring to? How am I to find the new warrior? Mentor, you must relieve more information."

"Hope Prime… Always believe in hope…"

And with that, Alpha Trion disappeared into the light.

Then, the room was blinded once more.

…

"Optimus! Optimus!"

Optimus' eyes shot open to find himself on the ground with the members of Team Prime looking over him with worried eyes. He blinked, regaining his senses as he felt someone help him up from behind.

"Thank Primus you're alive!" Ratchet exclaimed, helping the prime to his feet.

"You really gave us a scare there Optimus," Bulkhead commented.

"I apologise, everyone, but I am fine, thank you." He looked around and spotted the Star Saber lying on the ground a few feet away from him. Slowly, he picked it up and to everyone's amazement the sword activated to his touch.

"Wow,, it-it works!" Miko cheered and a few members of the team shared high-fives.

"Yes indeed, it does."

"Optimus, what did Alpha Trion say?" Ratchet questioned, remembering what the prime told them prior to falling unconscious.

Optimus looked up, thinking back to the strange encounter with his former mentor. "Alpha Trion has given us a mission of utmost importance; retrieving four Iacon relics: the Omega keys."

"Keys? To What?" Air Raid asked.

"To the regeneration of our home planet."

Everyone gasped, and looked at each other in disbelief.

"A-are you serious? You're saying these keys will restore Cybertron?"

"Yes, that is indeed the case Wheeljack. There are four keys scattered across Earth and we must locate them before they are discovered by the Decepticons. When all four keys are retrieved, there is hope that we may walk upon the grounds of Cybertron once more."

A cheer erupted within the group as everyone reveled at the thought of one day returning back to their home planet. Even Ratchet and Ultra Magnus joined in, and Arcee, though a little off to the side, managed to crack a smile. The only Autobot who remained quiet, however, was Optimus which didn't go unnoticed.

"Sir, is everything alright?" Ultra Magnus asked.

Optimus simply shook his head and everyone stopped their celebrations. "Unfortunately not old friend…"

"What? What happened? Did Alpha Trion mention me?" Smokescreen jumped in.

"No Smokescreen, however Alpha Trion has given us a warning of an imminent danger. Soon, a powerful darkness will arise and our darkest hour will fall upon us. Alone, we will not be able to defeat it; however we are to receive aid from a new ally, one that will be shrouded in darkness as well but will guide us through our darkest times."

"That is preposterous!" Ratchet commented. "Are you saying that a Decepticon will switch onto our side and aid us?"

"I am unsure of that Ratchet. All that has been revealed is that in time, a new warrior will rise with powers beyond that of the Primes and he or she will lead us all into a new era."

Optimus looked up, imagining this new and powerful warrior out there, somewhere, hoping that he or she will reveal themselves soon.

"A new warrior will arise…"

…


End file.
